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Restaurant Study

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Help us understand your kitchen’s energy needs and get $250!

As an independent restaurant owner, we understand that you operate very differently from other businesses—and even other restaurants. At any given time, you might be cooking, doing inventory, or fixing equipment, all while solving the unexpected challenges that come with operating a restaurant. Meanwhile, continued increases in food, labor, and operating costs considerably affect your profit margins.

Energy Trust can’t cook—we’re an independent nonprofit focused on clean energy solutions. But we’d love your help finding solutions that will benefit you and your restaurant’s bottom line.

In this unique study, we want to learn directly from independent restaurant owners how we can better save them money and energy. To do that, Energy Trust has engaged with ILLUME Advising, an independent research company, to visit independent restaurants and meet with restaurant owners to learn what services and equipment could help reduce your operating costs.

We know time is limited, and we want to ensure this effort benefits participating restaurant owners. ILLUME will provide all participating restaurant owners $250 for your time (about two hours). ILLUME can also connect you to the current resources to reduce operating costs that Energy Trust offers to restaurant owners like yourself.

Background

Why is Energy Trust doing this? Restaurants have high operating costs, and Energy Trust is looking to learn how they can help independent restaurants save money and energy. We would like to learn what equipment you have, what equipment we could offer you, and what additional services Energy Trust could offer to help independent restaurants save money by reducing their energy costs.

We also want to better understand independent restaurants’ unique business, energy, and cultural needs, specifically those serving a broad range of ethnic cuisines.

Who can participate? Independent, non-franchised restaurant owners within Energy Trust’s service territory are potentially eligible. Our service territory includes businesses served by Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, and Avista in Oregon and Southwest Washington. However, this study is limited to 60 independent restaurants, so not everyone eligible will be able to participate.

Are food carts eligible to participate? Unfortunately, no. This study is only examining independent, non-franchised restaurants operating in commercial buildings.

Who is doing the study?  ILLUME Advising, an independent research firm, is leading this study on behalf of Energy Trust. ILLUME is not affiliated with any government organization.

What if my preferred language is not English? ILLUME will strive to communicate with you in your preferred language. We have partners who speak multiple languages and can connect with more language partners to accommodate you.

How can I benefit? Participating restaurants will receive a $250 Visa gift card from ILLUME Advising, the independent research firm conducting this study, as a thank-you for your valuable time and help with improving Energy Trusts programs. We can only provide one $250 gift card for each participating restaurant. After the study, ILLUME can share the study’s overall findings and recommendations with those interested.

If interested, ILLUME can connect you with an Energy Trust team member who can meet with you to discuss Energy Trust’s current equipment rebates, which can reduce your operating costs.

What to Expect

What can I expect? The study includes two parts: 1) gather information about the energy-using cooking and building equipment (such as age and how well it works) and 2) interview restaurant owners about the business, concerns, needs, and energy-related decision-making processes.

Before that happens, someone from ILLUME’s team will call you to discuss the entire participation process. It is essential to ILLUME that you are comfortable with the information shared and that you know what to expect. You can invite anyone you’d like to join the call, and we will provide you with follow-up information in writing. During or after that call, ILLUME will schedule a time for a team member to visit your restaurant location. They will identify the most convenient time for you and your operating schedule.

The site visit to gather equipment information will take place at the restaurant and last about an hour. The interview, which can take place via telephone or during the visit, will take another hour.

The entire process will likely take about 2 to 2.5 hours, and we will work with you to schedule the visit and interview at the most convenient time.

When is this happening? This study will take place from August through November 2024.  The ILLUME team will work within restaurant owners’ preferred schedules.

Will my data be made publicly available? None of the information you provide will be made public.  Information shared with Energy Trust will not include any information that could identify you or your restaurant (such as your name, restaurant name, or specific restaurant address).

Will ILLUME be installing anything at my restaurant? ILLUME will not be installing anything at any restaurant. If you are interested, ILLUME can connect you with Energy Trust’s Existing Buildings program for information on potentially getting rebates for new, energy-efficient cooking and HVAC equipment.

Will ILLUME try to sell me something? ILLUME will not try to sell you anything. Our visits and interviews are purely for research purposes. We are trying to help Energy Trust understand how they can better serve independent restaurant owners such as yourself.

Contact

Who can I contact at ILLUME for more information? You can email restaurant@illumeadvising.com or text/call (503) 894-6618.

Who can I contact at Energy Trust for more information? You can email Leila Shokat at Leila.Shokat@energytrust.org.