Running a busy restaurant is demanding. With customers to please, health and safety regulations to comply with and turnover to think about, there can be little time to take a step back and evaluate whether the business could be more efficient. However in a sector that uses a lot of power, many restaurants find that doing just a few little things to reduce their energy consumption could make a big difference to their bills. Similarly, reducing water consumption and waste doesn't have to be a headache. Implementing green initiatives often leads to cost savings in the long-term and they can be a hit with environmentally-conscious customers.
Wahaca, a restaurant group that serves Mexican food, is blazing a trail with its eco-friendly credentials. It has won several sustainability awards and its environmentally-friendly ethos is incorporated at every level of the business.
"From day one we've always been an environmental company," says co-founder of Wahaca, Mark Selby. "We used the dance floor from Bad Bob's to build the walls and the bar of our Covent Garden restaurant. The builders didn't understand why we didn't throw it away. As a business we've always been driven by sustainability and not leaving a footprint on the planet. I think we were the first restaurant in the UK, along with Acorn [House], to recycle all of our waste. Nothing goes to landfill." Some of it is turned into compost and some of the food waste, through anaerobic digestion, is converted into biogas and liquid biofertiliser.
The company wants to cut its energy use where possible and has set itself a target. "We're aiming to reduce energy use by 10% by 2017," says Selby. The business didn't choose to be sustainable for financial reasons, says Selby, but he acknowledges that it's a benefit of operating in accordance with its values. "For us it's the environmental benefits rather than the cost savings."
Wahaca is always on the lookout for new technology that will help it achieve its sustainability goals and it has installed cutting edge equipment in its newer restaurants. Selby says: "Our hand dryers are energy efficient, we have waterless urinals. In the kitchens we have knee operated taps so you're not using more water than necessary." The business strives to use only as much power as is necessary. "Wherever we can avoid having power on the whole time then that's great." The kitchen extractors, for example, turn on when they detect smoke. "Instead of having them on all day, they're activated by smoke. When there's lots of smoke they ramp up to the full extract."
Another measure has been to remove the water boilers. "They're fairly inefficient in the way they heat water," explains Selby. Hot air generated from the fridges and freezers is reused to heat the hot water which means they don't have to burn additional gas. "We use that for all of the hot water going into the toilets." Lighting in the restaurants is activated by movement.
These initiatives have had a considerable impact, says Selby. "In our last four or five sites, there's been a 15% reduction in our energy bills." He adds: "We've not yet retrofitted the other restaurants as we'd need to close the restaurants for a few days, but it's in all of our new sites."
By keeping a close eye on energy usage the company is able to spot where it is being wasted. It uses the data from half hourly meter readings to track electricity consumption. "We noticed that at 3am the air con in our Canary Wharf restaurant kicked off. With the half hour measurements we can see where we're using energy efficiently."
Selby says they are continuing to research new equipment and technology. One area they're interested in is floor tiles that generate energy when stepped on. "As a business we're constantly looking at how we can keep pushing boundaries." Looking to the future they have big ambitions for reducing water use. "Down the line we're looking at collecting rainwater and using that as a water supply," says Selby.
Mister Singh's India in Glasgow has also been improving its green credentials. The restaurant has been working with Zero Waste Scotland to establish where and how it could be more efficient. The restaurant has recently introduced an initiative to reduce its food waste. "If customers can't finish their food they get to take it away with them in recycled containers," explains Mark Singh, managing director of the business.
One relatively straight forward measure that has proved effective is having a timer on the fridges behind the bar. "Once you've closed at night, you're not using the bar area or fridges. However the fridges stay on overnight so that the beers are cold and the cola is chilled." They decided to put the fridges on automatic timer, so they went off at night and came on in the morning, allowing a couple of hours for the drinks to chill before they open their doors to customers. Some fridges will need to be left on depending on the type of drink. "You just need to use common sense," says Singh. "Don't change the temperature for beer or wine, but something like cola, it's not going to affect the taste."
Trewin Restorick, founder and senior partner of the charity Global Action Plan, which helps businesses and communities become more sustainable, says: "Behaviour change alone can reduce energy bills by as much as 20% so the first thing to start with is to get your staff engaged so everyone can get involved. We worked with the Cinnamon Club in London, where they were able to save £124 per year by just simply switching off drinks fridges overnight, when they didn't need to be running. Another simple top tip is fitting tap aerators which can considerably reduce the amount of water and gas used by businesses."
The British Hospitality Association advises restaurants to make sure all electrical equipment is regularly serviced as old and underperforming equipment, for example fridges, can be very inefficient. "Sometimes swapping old for new will be more efficient from both an energy and money saving perspective." Also: "Ensure your team are energy smart and aware. Instil tips and guidance on energy saving into your induction and training, for example switching lights off when not required."
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