This fast food chain embraces on-site gardening

Fast food doesn't usually mean sustainable food. How often do you order a burger and fries and expect fresh-picked lettuce and tomato between the buns? One fast food is working to change those assumptions.

As Fast Company reports, b.good, a chain in the northeast United States, has your typical fast food fare: burgers, fries, shakes, and salads. But in recent years it has been experimenting with an unorthodox business model for a fast food chain: growing some of its food on-site or nearby.

The gardens began as a quirky experiment for a brand that markets itself for sustainable and healthy fare, but after an initial planting on a rooftop parking garage above its downtown Boston store, the company has managed to make the economics of growing veggies make sense. Now, as it expands from its dozen locations and starts franchising, b.good plans to make gardens a permanent part of its business model. Its first-ever franchisee is already setting one up.

Not all of the company's locations are able to set up a garden on-site, but it's still an impressive feat.

And while the gardening does save the business some money, the real value is in promoting the sustainability side of this unique fast food brand. Its tagline: real.food.fast. Here's a look the gardens:

Read more: Fast Company

Photo: Flickr/Michael Kappel

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com