HOW RESTAURANTS ARE WORKING TO KICK THEIR ENERGY HABIT CONTINUED...
SPECIAL REPORT
When we design things, we design for the maximum occupancy, and we make an assumption... But you may not have 200 people in there.”
—ERICA COCHRAN, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
ing lot lights and outdoor stationary bicycles that convert human power into electricity. That energy is used to illuminate the restaurant’s gold- en arches. The location remains the only McDonald’s of its kind in the world and is meant to be a “learning hub” for the rest of the system, the chain said in an email to Restaurant Business. Other locations have incorporated similar sustainability elements. The chain’s Bogota, Colombia, flagship has solar water heaters, rainwater recovery units, and heat-insulating ceilings, for instance, and a location in Market Drayton, U.K., uses British sheep’s wool as insulation, one of a number of environmental efforts at that restaurant. “McDonald’s is constantly evaluating ways to update existing restaurants for lower environmental impact while embedding sustainability considerations more deeply into the new-build processes,” the company said. For smaller operators, sheep’s wool, stationary bikes and even new HVACs may be out of the question. But there are more basic things they can do to limit their energy use and their costs, said Erica Cochran,
associate professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University. One piece of low-hanging fruit? Windows. Restaurants tend to have large windows, and they can have a big impact on the building’s inside temperature. Cochran recommended hiring a sustainability consultant to survey the building with a thermographic camera to identify spots where heat is getting in or out, such as windows that need caulking or doors that aren’t fully sealed. Windows themselves should have glass that is double- or triple- glazed, she said, and they should be outfitted with blinds or shades that can be drawn against the sun. Restaurants willing to spend more could invest in thermochromic glass that automatically tints depending on the light level. Another simple but impactful fix: Upgrading to LED lighting. Subbloie of Budderfly estimated that about 40% of restaurants have yet to make that change, even though it can cut lighting costs in half. For operators worried about losing some ambiance with LED, Cochran said their quality has come a long way. “The bulbs can still have great color rendering, so that your reds and your blues or your greens
still pop and look fantastic,” she said. Finally, the industry trend toward more delivery and takeout could give restaurants an opportunity to lower their energy consumption. With fewer customers dining on- site, full-service operators might consider dividing their buildings into temperature zones that can be controlled individually. Rather than cooling the entire dining area, a zoned system can hit only the sections where people are seated. “When we design things, we design for the maximum occupancy, and we make an assumption: ‘Hey, if this restaurant can hold 200 people, let’s design a mechanical system for 200 people,’” Cochran said. “But you may not have 200 people in there.” In response to the off-premise trend, many chains are opting to build smaller boxes, with some quick-service chains ditching dining rooms altogether at certain locations. The idea is to optimize the operation for to-go, but there’s an inherent energy benefit there as well. “Smaller footprints are definitely better for sustainability,” Cochran said. “Don’t build things that you don’t need.”
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS JANUARY 2025
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