SHIA Announces Mentees for Inaugural PITCH DAY, Empowering the Next Generation of Female Chefs in the DMV
August 12, 2025Introducing SHIA: A Sustainable Vision for the Future of Fine Dining
August 14, 2025SHIA Announces Mentees for Inaugural PITCH DAY, Empowering the Next Generation of Female Chefs in the DMV
August 12, 2025Introducing SHIA: A Sustainable Vision for the Future of Fine Dining
August 14, 2025SHIA and OpenTable Partner to Drive Innovation in Sustainable Restaurant Practices
Posted November 1, 2024
The research aims to address pressing industry issues such as zero-plastic use, waste reduction, and broader sustainability practices.
Washington, D.C. (November 1, 2024) — SHIA, a non-profit Korean fine dining restaurant set to open in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market District early next month, has partnered with OpenTable to advance research and development in sustainable restaurant practices. This groundbreaking partnership marks an innovative step forward in the fine dining industry, with SHIA positioned as a research hub addressing critical industry challenges. The collaboration will focus on providing open access to SHIA’s sustainability findings, aimed at benefiting restaurants and food service providers across the country.
Through this collaboration, OpenTable will exclusively host and promote SHIA's findings ensuring that data, case studies, and best practices are accessible to its 60k+ restaurant partners and all independent restaurant owners, workers, and the public. SHIA’s research will be conducted over the restaurant's five-year operational period, with OpenTable publishing findings annually.
"Our goal is to demonstrate that a fine dining restaurant can be more than a place for culinary excellence. It can be a catalyst for change in the industry," said Chef Edward Lee, co-founder of The LEE Initiative and culinary director at SHIA. "OpenTable is the perfect partner to help us share these findings and foster an open-source environment where these ideas can take root and grow."
A Five-Year Commitment to Research and Development
SHIA’s first year research is organized into three core pillars: Zero Plastic, Zero Waste, and Zero Gas. Each year, SHIA will refine its operations based on research and feedback, using the restaurant as a living lab for experimentation and innovation. Findings will be released annually via OpenTable, making the research easily accessible to the public to encourage wider industry adoption.
● Year 1: SHIA will focus on establishing operational frameworks to support its research initiatives. This includes removing all single-use plastics, creating a zero-gas kitchen, and establishing metrics for waste monitoring.
● Year 2-5: As the research deepens, SHIA will expand its studies to the broader community and industry, engaging with local restaurants and food retailers in the Union Market District to build collaborative waste reduction systems, and will explore additional topics to potentially include gender equity, wage and broader sustainability practices
“At its core, SHIA is a restaurant think tank and an experimental way to test, explore and refine sustainable initiatives and ensure they are executable,” said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. ”This initiative is poised to foster meaningful change and we are committed to doing our part to shine a light on it for all restaurants to see.”
With OpenTable’s support, SHIA aims to create a replicable blueprint for fine dining restaurants that want to embrace sustainability and social responsibility, ultimately shaping the future of the industry.
For more information, visit https://www.opentable.com/r/shia-restaurant-washington.
About SHIA
SHIA is a non-profit Korean fine dining restaurant located in Washington, D.C.'s vibrant Union Market District. A collaborative effort between The LEE Initiative and a host of visionary partners—including Chase Sapphire, OpenTable, EDENS Community Enrichment Foundation, and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF)—SHIA brings together culinary excellence with a mission-driven purpose. By offering a modern take on traditional Korean cuisine, SHIA aims to create a dining experience that is as enriching for the soul as it is for the community it serves. As a non-profit, SHIA is committed to reinvesting in local initiatives that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the culinary world. SHIA is part of the KNEAD family of restaurants.
About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), helps more than 60,000 restaurants worldwide fill 1.7 billion seats a year. OpenTable’s world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.
For more information about SHIA, please contact Baltz & Company:
Chloe Mata Crane; cmcrane@baltzco.com
Jamie Silverman; jsilverman@baltzco.com