Editor’s note: The author is an energy consultant at Great Eastern Energy in Brooklyn, N.Y. The highlighted story below is part of The Schechter Report and NRN’s content partnership, and the content here does not necessarily reflect the views of Nation’s Restaurant News. It has been edited for length and a complete version appears at TSRMag.com.
We all know that restaurants consume large amounts of energy. In fact, restaurants use about five times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings. If you're a concerned restaurant owner, chef or foodservice operator, clean energy can be a feel like a good move. There are many potential benefits to using solar energy, but is it cost-effective at this time?is
A restaurant owner/operator wants to prepare high-quality meals at the lowest possible cost. Unfortunately, raw materials and energy costs continue to rise, making the cost of preparing these meals increasingly expensive. In a national survey of U.S. manufacturing chief financial officers and senior controllers conducted by Grant Thornton LLP in May 2011, there are serious concerns about inflation. When asked about specific pricing concerns, 96%identified raw materials, up from 62% six months earlier; and 58%identified energy, up from 33% six months earlier.
Read the whole column at TSRMag.com.
