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Restaurants face specific challenges for sustainability, similar  to those faced by supermarkets -- food must be preserved at both facilities, limiting the ability to reduce refrigeration, and limiting the choice of certain materials in food preparation areas.  Green is definitely in the details!

The use of efficient equipment and on-site renewable energy can result in the savings of up to 15% of the total bill.  Check with your local utility company for rebates, incentives, and test kitchens that allow you to test new equipment  choices...and even recipe refinements.

Lighting accounts for 13% of a restaurant's electricity. A shift to energy efficient lighting can save 70% to 75% of that cost, reducing the total bill by 8%.  Solar light tubes, natural lighting, CFLs and LED lights are some of the options that reduce electricity use.

LED lights in 24/7 locations can be quite cost effective:  consider signage and exit signs! The cost of LED lighting systems are coming down fast.  Their cost effectiveness needs to be monitored for ROI and practical investment for savings as energy costs rise. 

More sophisticated technology can allow a restaurant to convert its waste oil into biofuels to generate power for delivery vehicles or electricity, or uploading into the grid for electricity savings.

Water-conservation measures such as waterless urinals and water-conserving spray nozzles also can help reduce the average restaurant water use that averages 300,000 gallons of water per year.

Health codes can prevent the installation of compact fluorescent bulbs above food preparation areas, but can make a significant difference elsewhere.

Consultants and small businesses that can audit green opportunities and provide connections with qualified installation firms can help these businesses save energy, save money, and provide their customers with more sustainable community services.

All is a day's work and a  satisfying career. 

According to the National Restaurant Association's 2009 forecast, approximately four in 10 full-service restaurant operators and almost three in 10 quick-service operators plan to devote more of their budgets to green initiatives.

New guidelines for going greener are available through the Green Restaurant Association, which has published Certified Green Restaurants 4.0 standards.

"Diners are increasingly environment-savvy," says Michael Oshman, executive director of the Green Restaurant Assoc.--which has been promoting sustainable restaurants since 1990. "Interest has spiked in the last year to 18 months, and businesses are responding." Calls asking for the GRA's consulting services have tripled in the last two years, he noted.

The new Green Restaurant standards allocate points for various categories, including

• energy use reduction
• water conservation
• waste reduction
• disposables
• chemical and pollution reduction
• sustainable food from local and organic sources
• sustainable furnishings that use recycled content or sustainable materials
• sustainable building materials

Newly built restaurants must accumulate 205 points via a specific matrix to achieve a Certified Green Restaurant Sustainabuild designation, as well as conduct a full-scale recycling program--including construction materials--and be free of Styrofoam and other polystyrene foams.

Restaurant chains, including Subway, McDonalds, Chipotle and Dunkin Donuts have pursued USGBC-sponsored LEED certification for individual units, through the Core-and-Shell or retail designations.

A member of the US Green Building Council since 2007--and a member of the LEED for Retail pilot program--McDonalds opened its first LEED-certified unit in 2005 at Abercorn Commons--the US' first LEED-certified shopping center--in Savannah, GA.

McDonalds' green program covers a wide variety of operational improvement programs including 

• high-efficiency rooftop mechanical equipment and boilers
• efficient interior lighting with skylights and daylight controls
• water-saving plumbing fixtures
• green roof
• stormwater management with permeable parking lot pavement and rain gardens
• LED exterior signage
• green power purchased through renewable energy credits

Many of these green stratgies can be scaled for small restaurants -- and many communities offer special programs to assist independent restaurants afford energy conservation.  The community benefits by reducing the peak energy load during heavy usage seasons and times of day, and restaurants can significantly reduce their energy costs. 

Surveys by Boston-based Aberdeen and Dayton, OH-based NCR Corp., show that retailers describe technology as a tool that can help struggling businesses survive the downturn and give them a competitive edge. Aberdeen surveyed about 200 retailers in November and December 2008 about the state of business and technology.

Four out of five retailers are grappling with historically higher cost of goods and low consumer confidence, according to Aberdeen

And shoppers are skittish, NCR found, focused on sales and discounts and willing to switch stores to find them.

Retailers shifted their value chain priorities and IT investments in the last six months of 2008 compared to the first six.

In the second half of the year, "technology and process spending was geared towards accelerated product campaigns, door busters, and promotions--in terms of price discounts and frequency, customer loyalty programs, precision merchandizing, and lean inventory management."

These strategies were designed to minimize business risks such as store closings, working capital squeeze, depleted customer satisfaction due to staff cuts, and low margin attainment.

Anand says the main concerns for 2009 are customer-facing and retail optimization applications that directly affect the bottom-line, greater application integration and hosted application delivery models. 

To attract and retain customers is the goal -- a task NCR suggests will be easiest for retailers who make their businesses most convenient for consumers.

Bargain conscious Americans are spending more time evaluating less familiar brands, switching stores to capitalize on deals and scheduling shopping trips to coincide with the arrival of paychecks, according to a survey of US consumers commissioned by NCR.

The NCR research found:

• 72% of consumers are more likely to shop with a retailer offering the flexibility of online, mobile and kiosk self-service channels;
• Nearly half think kiosks that show them where to find products in stores would be convenient;
• 43% believe receiving discount offerings and product information on large screens in store would be convenient;
• 39% want self-return solutions for processing returns quickly.

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