While restaurants are major consumers of water — minimizing the usage for your business will often result in energy savings along with benefitting the environment.

“Along with risking supply shortages down the line, businesses are literally dripping, pouring and flushing money down the drain as their utility bills continue to rise,” reports QSR Magazine.

The trick is noticing water conservation opportunities that will better your sustainability initiatives and help with savings for your business. With only 1 per cent of the planet’s water available for human consumption — a business that’s in the know and making an effort shows it’s socially responsible and creates a good public image.

Here are some simple tips that can lead your restaurant to sweet savings (and reduce natural resource waste).

Keeping control in the kitchen

In a restaurant, the kitchen is a target for high consumption of water. While it’s a place where all the magic happens, this means it’s also where a lot of consistent cooking and cleaning happens. These tasks typically involve the use of water in some way — and sometimes, it’s a matter of re-considering how you do things in efforts to conserve.

  •       When thawing frozen foods, move them to the fridge rather than have water constantly running over the items
  •       Have a bin handy in the dish pit where servers can drop used cutlery to soak in before they get put through the dishwasher
  •       Make the right amount of ice for your business. If it’s a slower night, set your ice machine to dispense less ice
  •       Only wash full loads of dishes — maximize the productivity of your washer and the amount of dishes that get cleaned
  •       Consider setting up a gray water system for tasks that don’t require the use of ‘drinking’ water (example: cleaning the floor, uniform laundry, washing the patio, etc.)
  •       Set up a rainwater collection system for your restaurant’s landscape irrigation

Make those bathroom checks

With water being possibly the most finite resource on earth, don’t just flush it down the toilet! Make sure that the faucets in your establishment aren’t leaking and that your toilets are upgraded.

Victoria’s Capital Regional District understands that restaurants and pubs have high water bills — but also knows there are ways to reduce this cost (and conserve the wasted water).

“In a busy restaurant, each toilet may be flushed more than 50 times per day, at a cost of more than $200 per year in water and sewer charges,” According to CRD, “If the toilet is more than 25 years old it costs more than $400 per year, and still more if it leaks. Replacing restaurant toilets with new, efficient models will reduce water use by 50-70%, and it usually pays back in 1-4 years.”

If you go with the low flow, you’ll find your savings rising higher. 

Get your staff on board

Set up memos, bring it up at the next menu roll out — or better yet, bring it up in every shift meeting. Letting your staff know about your water conservation initiatives and helping them to understand why will benefit your business and the environment. Make sure they’re aware that you’re taking social responsibility seriously and they can do things like bring water to a table only upon request or notify you when they’ve identified a leak.

With a team monitoring and promoting water efficiency, creating a sustainability program is made easier.

For restaurants that are serious about energy efficiency and greening their business, we have rebates and incentives.

 

 

Image Credit: CZH Hospitality