Energy-Efficient Equipment in Food Service Operations - Research Paper Example

The utilization of cutting-edge technologies could enrich the energy efficiency and functioning of the extant food service equipment. Nevertheless, the employment of existing technologies could furnish the maximum return, in the short term. These technologies include insulation, better design of heat exchangers, and improved controls (Fisher, 2002). In today’s food service operations, energy-efficient equipment plays an important role in reducing costs and increasing the profits of an organization. As such, organizations become more productive and competitive by adopting these technologies.

Question Three-How will you define sustainable restaurants and can you give some examples?

The term sustainability, in the context of restaurants, connotes their management of the environmental and social influences of their activities. Restaurants that commit themselves to sustainability can engender tremendous differences in animal welfare, climate change, and food waste. Moreover, when the restaurants publicly declare their contribution to sustainability, their customer can bestow their patronage upon the restaurants that uphold the values that they believe in (Sustainable Restaurant Association, 2010).

 In addition, the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award is bestowed upon the restaurant that has achieved the maximum Sustainability Rating score. In order to be made the recipient of this award, the aspiring restaurant has to conduct essential sustainability actions. Moreover, it has to make certain that sustainability is a continuous process, in addition to being accorded top priority. Some of the aspects involved could be providing customers with better sustainable fish options, commitment to practices that improve energy efficiency, and recycling various types of waste (Sustainable Restaurant Association, 2010).

Some examples of sustainable restaurants are the Lussmans, which received the Sustainable Small Group of the Year award; the Geronimo Inns, which was awarded the Sustainable Large Group of the Year; the Bay Fish and Chips, which was bestowed with the SRA Award for Environment; the James Miller Room, which won the SRA Award for Society; and Carluccio’s, which claimed the Sustainable Innovation Award (Sustainable Restaurant Association, 2014).

Question Four-What’s the role of Foodservice equipment in sustainability?

It is feasible for restaurants to limit their dependence upon scarce natural resources and reduce their utility costs. To achieve these objectives, restaurants can resort to energy-efficient and water-saving equipment for cooking, storage, and holding, diminishing waste in labor and production, and reduction in energy consumption. In this context, sustainability denotes completing the circle with regard to what is used and reused (Levin, 2010). As such, food service equipment plays a major role in attaining sustainability in food service operations.   

Energy efficiency norms and rating mechanisms are essential for improving the energy performance of commercial food service equipment. It has been conjectured that the paucity of comprehension among manufacturers and purchasers, regarding standard effectiveness, has proved to be the cardinal impediment to improving the efficiency of commercial refrigeration and food service equipment (Fisher, 2002).