U.S. restaurants spend more than $5 billion per year on energy; in 2006, an estimated median expenditure of $161 per seat. Power use per square foot in a foodservice facility is greater than in any other kind of commercial building-more than triple what a hospital utilizes per square foot and at least six times what an office creating uses per square foot. On your profit-and-loss statement, utility expenses will be only 4 to 7 percent of the total operating expenses.
However, National Restaurant Association studies suggest they are expenses that could be cut by as much as 20 percent with smarter energy consumption; utility companies claim you can realize savings as high as 30 percent. These potential savings, of course, have a major and direct impact on your bottom-line profit. And remember, simply because its energy use is so higher, this kind of company is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in energy expenses.
Until the early 1970s, when the United States experienced its first energy crisis since World War II, most restaurateurs were simply not focused on cutting energy use. When budgets needed to become trimmed, the emphasis was on curtailing labor expenses, insurance expenses, and-as always-food expenses. It seemed downright miserly to fret more than when to turn on an oven or whether to adjust the air conditioner a couple of degrees warmer. Today, nevertheless, it’s considered forward thinking to conserve resources by operating more efficiently. Read the rest of this entry »