Shoney’s to Phase Out Plastic Straws by 2020

Plastic straws are about to be a thing of the past at America’s Dinner Table.

Shoney’s, which recently celebrated its 70th anniversary, said it is choosing paper over plastic and will phase out plastic straws at all of its company-owned stores by 2020, according Shoney’s Chairman and CEO Mr. David Davoudpour.

“America has spoken and Shoney’s always listens and for the sake of the environment and our communities, we are taking action,” Davoudpour says. “We are in the people business and have spent decades doing the right things in our neighborhoods as well as our restaurants and are committed to being at the forefront of this change.”

Plastic straws have garnered nasty press recently, and rightly so. Single-use plastic straws are inarguably bad for the environment, especially when discarded and consumed by wildlife.  Davoudpour says Shoney’s will work with its suppliers to back the brand’s dedication to phasing out plastic straws.

“Our objective is to introduce FDA-compliant eco-product straws with paper and plant materials which are 100 percent compostable,” adds Mr. Davoudpour. “When Shoney’s first opened 70 years ago in Charleston, West Virginia, the paper straw was the only straw. But it had its shortcomings and was phased out in the early seventies. But today is a new day, where longevity and sustainability usurp convenience. Shoney’s is here for the long haul and getting it right is always at the top of our priority list.”