1. Start-up, Shutdown Schedules
Not everything needs to be turned on right away when the first
cook arrives. Equipment start-up schedules similar to just-in-time ordering saves energy with no investment.
2.
Low flow aerators
These are potentially one of the lowest priced efficiency measures a restaurant can buy. Aerators range from .50 to
a several dollars and return the investment almost instantly.
3. Pre-rinse Assemblies
At about $60, these devices pay for themselves in about a week depending on your usage and prior sprayer.
Some of the newest units on the market use as little as .65 gallons per minute compared to the old units that use around 3.5
gpm. New regulations require all pre-rinse sprayers to use no more than 1.6 gpm so go as low as you can find.
4.
Turbo Pots
Research from the Food Service Technology Center shows that Turbo Pots use about half as much
energy to boil a pot of water compared to a standard pot. If you have a pot of water boiling all day in your kitchen these
pots are a must have.
5. Thawing Meats
A little bit of organization and scheduling could
save many restaurants thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars a year. If you must thaw meats with running water
make sure the faucet has a low-flow aerator, and turn the flow down to just enough to keep water flowing across the product
– not full blast.
6. CFLs
They are simple and almost old school at this point, but
CFLs save a lot of money. Today’s CFLs are cheap and high quality, but don’t buy the cheapest ones you can find.
You get what you pay for. Use them in hoods, storage areas, offices, back halls and walk-in coolers.
7. Training
All the green gadgets and gizmos in the world don’t save money unless
the users are using them correctly. Moreover, training staff to be conscious about the resources they are using will go much
further than any piece of energy efficient equipment.
8. Recycling
Even restaurants that
currently recycle should audit their garbage once in a while. More than likely, recyclables are being thrown away and potentially
costing the business extra hauling fees. Recycling is a simple task, and can cut a garbage bill in half if the restaurant
is not currently taking part in the practice.
9. Composting
Food waste makes up something
around 50% of the volume and 75% of the weight of most full service restaurants. Implementing a composting program can be
a little more involved, but like recycling it soon becomes second nature to the staff.
10. Food Waste Tracking
Before starting a composting program, start tracking the restaurant’s food waste, and make changes to reduce that
waste. Whether through simple paper logs or more complex digital systems like Leanpath, food waste tracking helps chefs and
management actualize their waste and make adjustments to par lists, menus or schedules.
