New restaurants are constantly popping up throughout the New England Area, bringing new dining options to foodies and casual diners alike. It’s a great time to get into the restaurant industry. As an entrepreneur setting up a new restaurant, you’ve got a lot of choices to make with a lot of factors to consider. And while your kitchen’s grease production might seem like a small thing, failure to plan for it can damage your kitchen and leave you in hot water with the city. Today we’ll go over the basics to consider about your restaurant’s grease production and how it can affect your bottom line.
Figuring Out Your Restaurant’s Grease Production
Starting up a restaurant is all about planning: the brand, the menu, the interior. Figuring out your type of restaurant can also help you figure out how much grease you’ll produce and the measures you’ll need for making sure you’ve got the proper grease trap. The following chart is from our Flow vs Grease: Grease Interceptor Sizing, make sure to visit it for more info. Using this information, you can figure out your grease production, useful when contacting a company for sizing and grease pump-out.
Making Yours a Low Grease Production Restaurant
Looking at the above chart, you can see the common theme of how much grease a restaurant produces and the factors that take place. A few ways to consider reducing your grease production, and therefore the cost of servicing it:
- Focus on a Low Grease Production Restaurant: Restaurants that focus less on cooking and frying, such as sandwich, salad, and sushi, product less grease than those who do.
- Use Disposable Flatware and Containers: Disposable customer food containers and utensils can dramatically reduce the amount of grease introduced by washing.
- Set Wastewater-Friendly Cleaning Procedures: By scraping as much as you can into the trash and not using the garbage disposal, you can keep grease (and solids) out of the pipes.
Restaurant Move-ins vs Full Construction
When you’re looking to set up a restaurant, there are two major options for real estate. You can either set up shop in a building previously used by a restaurant to take advantage of the existing facilities, or start from scratch and build from the ground (or at least the walls) up. The decision is often one of time and money, and both have their own merits to weigh.
Are Any Existing Grease Traps Up to Code?
An existing restaurant comes with an existing grease trap. However, that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. First, it’s important to check and see if it’s up to code (and still works) by finding documentation at your town hall. It also might be worth getting it inspected to see what shape it’s in, as well using the above sizing chart if the current installation (and pump out schedule) will be enough.
Are You Factoring Grease Production into Your Kitchen?
If you’re instead building from scratch, it’s important to get the right grease trap installed for your expected volume. Work with your general contractor and grease trap specialist to figure out the amount of flow and grease content of your kitchen to avoid costly changes later.
At Food Grease Trappers, we’re experts in inspecting, cleaning, and maintaining grease traps and interceptors. We can work with your general contractor to get the right grease trap for the job and make sure you’re following local codes. Contact us today for a free estimate.
