Web Exclusive: Save Water, Save Money
The average restaurant uses 300,000 gallons of water a year. No wonder chains are finding ways to conserve H2O.
By Lisa Bertagnoli, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 2/26/2008 2:45:00 PM
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| The waterless urinals that Ted's Montana Grill uses saves each restaurant 40,000 gallons of water a year. |
The urinals, on the cutting edge of toilet technology, don't use water, saving each restaurant 40,000 gallons of water a year, says George McKerrow, CEO of the Atlanta-based steakhouse chain.
Less Water, More Money
How do they work? It's simple enough. "They have a filter that's replaced every few months," McKerrow explains. "Everything goes down the drain." The urinals cost as much as their water-using brethren, there's no issue with unpleasant odors, and they save "significant" amounts of money on water bills. Plus, McKerrow adds, there's less waste water for the local municipality to treat.
A plaque in each restroom explains to customers the purpose of the waterless urinals. So far, no complaints: "Customers love them," McKerrow says.
McKerrow wants to install the waterless urinals at all 54 Ted's locations, but he can't because not all building codes allow them. "Antiquated," McKerrow calls such codes. For instance, the Ted's restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Ill., had to remove the waterless urinals before the restaurant officially opened, even though building plans were approved with the waterless urinals in place. (The urinals are legal in Chicago.)
Savings Plan
Ted's is smart to look into ways to conserve water, seeing that the average restaurant consumes 300,000 gallons of water a year, according to James Davella, director of foodservice equipment and design for Shawmut Design and Construction, a Boston-based construction-management firm.
Davella suggests several other ways to cut back on water use:
Efficient prerinse valves in dishroom sinks deliver 1.6 gallons of water per minute, compared to 4.5 gallons per minute for standard valves.
Energy Star-rated ice machines use 18 gallons of water per 100 pounds of ice, compared to 22 gallons for nonrated machines, Davella says.
Use collectors, not disposers. Garbage disposers use 7 to 15 gallons of water per minute, "and that's fresh water, right down the drain," Davella says. Collectors recirculate "gray" water (recycled water from sinks and dishmachines) and use two gallons per minute.
No need for bells and whistles; read "Working Smart" to learn how smart operators find energy-saving ways to use standard kitchen equipment.
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