Sustainability in business has evolved from simply concerning one's economic bottom line to now also encompassing environmental and social aspects commonly known as the triple bottom line. Sustainable practices can be a way by which businesses can actively improve their overall sustainability in either an economic, environmental, or social context. With the effects of increasing economic pressures, climate change, and poor social responsibility records becoming more apparent, there is a need to examine how small businesses are contributing towards creating a more sustainable world.

Therefore, it is important to consider the impact this industry has on the triple bottom line and how it can be further improved. The scope of this study focuses on cafes within Christchurch’s hospitality industry as hospitality holds an important place in New Zealand’s business environment, contributing significantly to the national economy and employment rates. Furthermore most cafes are classified as small businesses and are owner/operated, and there is a research gap within the context of sustainable operations.

This thesis explores the experiences of small business owner/operators and managers in order to understand how and why they employ sustainable business practices in their café operations. A multiple case study methodology (Yin, 2003) was conducted, consisting of ten in-depth semi-structured interviews with owner/operators and managers in Christchurch’s cafe industry. The result of these interviews were ten quality narratives which produced key findings regarding the influence of the triple bottom line in their daily operations. Four key operating objectives of participants: customer satisfaction, relationships, quality, and sustainability were applied to Carter and Rogers (2008) sustainability framework. An overarching theme of conscious and unconscious sustainability was discovered and is a key contribution of this study.