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Does your restaurant have a 'water issue'?

With sustainability now a top trend this year, it could be time for all restaurants to incorporate environment-friendly practices into their business plans.

May 27, 2015

With water scarcity becoming a major issue in the largest metro areas of the U.S., including places such as San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix and others, environmental sustainability is seeping into the consciousness of consumers and operators across the nation. The issue recently ranked No. 3 on the list of the Top 10 Trends in the 2015 Culinary Forecast, according to the panelists at the NRA 2015 "Why Focusing on the Plant and People Builds Profit" session, which included Emilio Tenuta, VP of corporate sustainability for Ecolabs; Roger McClendon, Yum! Brands chief sustainability officer and Lisa Stanley, VP of strategic relationships for the U.S. Green Building Council.

The group discussed how restaurants should incorporate sustainable practices into their business plans and where to start making a difference.

Establishing a business case for sustainability is imperative to foodservice, said Tenuta. Restaurants can't make this move toward sustainability for only altruistic reasons; it must be incorporated into a business plan in order to see profits.

"There has to be a business rationale," Tenuta said.

McClendon agreed, saying operators must think about how sustainability should be anchored into the business strategy.

"If you want a sustainable business model you have to care about it and grow the way you want," he said.

The water issue

Tenuta said Ecolabs wants to change the way businesses look at environmental issues and influence them to make better decisions, but the biggest challenge is keeping up with the growth and dynamics of  the industry. For example, there's an invisible footprint around water, according to Tenuta. Many don't consider the agricultural impact and processing for things like carbonated drinks and the irrigation for the tomatoes that restaurants serve.

"Water is very front page news and is impacting most of us," Tenuta said. "Water scarcity is a risk for the largest metro areas in the US. Based on a 30-year estimate of population growth, 70 percent of the US population will be living in urban areas."

Irrigation is a monster issue and a huge opportunity, said McLendon, who recommended that operators use irrigation systems that are timer-based, and take care to water at the right angle and monitor and measure the system to save money.

In order for restaurants to "go green," LEED  recommends new construction develop into sustainable sites with water efficiency, energy and atmosphere conservation, recycling of materials and resources and indoors, quality air. McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and Pizza Hut are among the USGBC's LEED-certified restaurants.

The panelists pointed out that McDonald's green location in Cary, North Carolina, which achieved LEED Retail Gold Certification, is a prime example of the impact sustainable restaurants can have. The Cary McDonald's uses 24.4 percent less energy, 30 percent less water, creates 800 pounds of compost a week, includes a bio-retention pond onsite and uses all native plantings and zero irrigation.

What restaurants can do immediately is find out where the largest use of water in their facilities comes from, which is often linked to dish washers and other cleaning systems. Consider, Tenuta said, whether there is a way for your restaurant to "do biodegradable" that allows you to avoid using rinse water when you clean the floors, for example.

"There are areas where we can save cost and washing is a good place to start," he said.

"And employee engagement is huge," McClendon added.

"We're going to be impacted one way or another," said Tenuta, and with sustainability now a top three trend this year, it could be time to follow in the (environmentally friendly) footsteps of restaurants like McDonald's.