Food biz banks on tech to save water

Rainwater harvesting and special equipment are helping them survive the water crisis this season.

This summer, restaurants are expecting the worst and conserving water as much as they can.

From serving half glasses to importing water-saving equipment, they are doing everything they can to gear up for the water crisis.

“Instead of boiling veggies and rice like we normally do, we steam cook them in machines,” Chef Manu Nair from BonSouth told Metrolife.

The restaurant in Koramangala also uses high-pressure sprays for washing utensils and kitchen equipment.

Water used to wash vegetables and meat is recycled to water the gardens. The restaurant also has push-stop taps in the guest washrooms.

Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality, which runs Social and Smoke House Deli, also banks on technology to cut down on water consumption.

Ranveer Sabhani, business head, explains, “An average RO (reverse osmosis) purifier wastes about three litres for every litre of purified water. That means only 25 per cent is purified and 75 per cent comes out as waste. This extra water from RO at Sarjapur Social is used to water plants and to flush toilets.”

The restaurant also uses stopcock, a valve that restricts the dripping of taps and the use of water per press.

“We are training our employees with sustainability competitions and awards and recognition if targets are met,” he adds.

The microbreweries are also doing their bit. Rekhansh Karamchandani, managing director of Breaking Bread Entertainment and Hospitality, says, “At XOOX Brewmill, we believe in the use of bio-enzymes for the CIP process instead of chemicals, which directly results in saving water of 300 to 400 litres per batch of beer made.”

CIP refers to the cleaning of the interior surfaces of pipes, vessels, equipment, filters and fittings without disassembly.

The water used in the kitchen is recycled with the help of a local purification plant and used for cleaning and sanitary purposes.

Leftover drinking water from bottles is collected and used to water the plants.

“And though this is a costly affair for us as a business, we encourage our customers to use hand sanitisers instead of water,” adds Rekhansh.

One of the biggest pubs in the city, Byg Brewski Brewing Company is spread over 65,000 square feet.

Pravesh Pandey, partner and director, says his team invested in water-saving systems to make the business sustainable in the long run.

“We have rainwater harvesting, and roof water is collected in 24 pits. We use treated water to brew our beers. Water left over by customers is treated and reused in the kitchen. Since we also have a large water body, we clean it out regularly and pour it back to the pond,” he says.

In summer, the restaurant gets water from tankers. “We do have a borewell but we don’t depend on it. When we know the water level is below the reserve, we book tankers, but with passing year, they are becoming more and more expensive,” he says.

Drona Shee, manager at The Smoke Co, Koramangala, says, “Since we have invested in rainwater harvesting, we don’t have a problem. As for drinking water, customers who order water usually take the bottles with them. Our borewells have been full so far.”

‘Water’ they doing

- Using water-saving machines to boil vegetables

- Dry and vacuum-cleaning kitchen equipment

- Encouraging customers to use hand sanitisers

- Installing push-stop taps in washrooms

- Reusing kitchen water in gardens, toilets

- Some eateries have borewells

- Some restaurants have their own borewells.