How One Wendy’s Franchisee Slashed Costs:
Energy usage has been a widespread concern in past years as oil prices have only increased, and the “Green” initiative has motivated many people to change their lifestyles. In fact, the Mecca of Information, Google, loads over 14,900,000 pages when “Reducing energy costs” is searched! People want answers, and this in turn solidifies my argument: energy usage is a serious issue. Similarly, companies are trying a variety of solutions to curb these increasing costs. If you have not thought about saving, why not do yourself and your environment a favor, where could you be more energy efficient?
A recent article in The Chain Store Age magazine entitled Where’s the Savings, highlights the way one Wendy’s franchisee has minimized energy costs with Gridpoint management systems. Raul Dominguez implemented this energy management system in his Florida restaurants to reduce utility expenses. With oil costs increasing, Dominguez ultimately wanted to save money on his electric bills. Sounds logical, right? Hospitality chains like Wendy’s utilize a lot of energy expenses. From interior lighting, exterior lighting, office lighting, backroom lighting, signage, and most importantly HVAC and refrigeration systems; it is obviously very expensive just to open the store every morning and prepare for the hungry crowds, even before the first customer steps foot in the door! I am sure most franchisees would concur that they also have similar necessary operational expenses. Yet after installing the Gridpoint system in 2008, Dominguez reported a reduction between 10-15% in energy costs per month. Dominguez continues to seek out more solutions to reduce energy costs in his stores including a recent switch to incandescent light bulbs. I think every hospitality chain could take a lesson from this franchisee.
Maybe you do not want to implement an entire energy saving system as Dominguez did…. But why not start small, any improvement is still an improvement and a step in the right direction! Why not begin with your point of sale hardware? Retail Tech encourages our customers to think about their own energy savings through the products we sell. For example, Epson printers differentiate themselves by selling an entire line of Energy Star qualified, single station thermal receipt printers. The preference of many restaurant chains, Epson’s TM-T88V, thermal receipt printer, was the first to be introduced with this energy rating and is the most energy efficient receipt printer in its class. Similarly, IBM POS platforms have created a number of energy saving strategies. One is “deep sleep automation” which allows the system to conserve almost as much energy as it would in the powered off state. Also, IBM SurePos 500 systems are also equipped with energy-saving Intel processors to lower overall power consumption. Another added benefit to the environment, all IBM packaging is made from 100% recyclable materials.
Whether you are highly invested in saving the environment, or just your bottom dollar, I encourage you to start thinking about energy saving!
