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Save Water

You can’t run your restaurant without water. You use it every hour you are open:

  • Cooking meals.
  • Cleaning dishes, floors, equipment, etc.
  • Serving thirsty customers.
  • Washing hands, many times over — staff and guests alike.

Water is fundamental to your operation’s success. You usually pay for it in three ways:

1) The initial cost of the water

2) Sewer costs

3) Energy costs to heat the water

These costs add up! With the cost of water now rising faster than inflation, your water bill is taking a bigger bite of your budget each year.

But there are easy, low-cost ways to cut your water use and save money.

Water conservation has other benefits too. Saving water frees it up for other uses, including farming. Recent droughts have led to increased food costs, and in some cases, reduced food supply. Water conservation means more water for all uses, from farming to manufacuting to fishing and more.

Did you know? The U.S. population nearly doubled between 1950 and 2000, while demand for water more than tripled over that time. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Best Practices

Turn hand sinks into a fountain of savings!

Did you know you may be missing the opportunity to save thousands of gallons of hot water per year with each hand sink? With anywhere from 2-10 hand sinks, these are a great place to start saving!

A twist on water service:
Offer before pouring

Asking one simple question: "Would you like a glass of water?" is a great way to save water in your restaurant. This easy step saves not only water, but ice and dishwashing costs.

One great trade: Swap your
old pre-rinse spray valves and save $$$

Spray valves can account for nearly one-third of the water used in the typical commercial kitchen. Low-flow units are designed effectively with high velocity to ensure that they do the same job as higher-pressure units.

Don’t be a drip: fix leaks fast

Allowing leaks to drip can poke holes in your finances. The relentless drip erodes your profits at least two times over: paying for the water and paying for the sewer. Take a little time out of your busy day and fix that faucet.

 

Young woman in dishroom smiling and doing dishes

 

Slash water use in the dishroom

With a little extra maintenance and some smart buying, you can wring significant water and energy savings from your dishwashers.

 

 

For additional best practices, see our archive.