Tadich Grill, established in 1849, is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco. While best known for professional service, classic white tablecloth ambiance and famous charcoal-grilled meat and seafood, Tadich is a role model for sustainability in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Starting with recycling back in 1967, owner Mike Buich and General Manager Rick Powers have been quietly implementing sustainable practices targeted at reducing their restaurant’s environmental impact. As early participants in Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) refrigeration gasket replacement program, Buich was familiar with PG&E’s energy efficiency (EE) programs.

So, in early 2010 when he wanted to improve the restaurant’s operational performance and reduce its energy footprint, Buich once again called PG&E. He partnered with The PG&E Food Service Technology Center’s (FSTC) Senior Energy Analyst Todd Bell and PG&E Account Managers Alex Feliz and Josh Fredrickson to gain a better understanding of what, “...they were doing right, what they were doing wrong and how they could improve.” The FSTC conducted an energy audit – a free service available to all PG&E foodservice customers – to identify areas where Tadich could reduce its electrical and natural gas consumption.

Buich took advantage of PG&E’s customized retrofit incentive programs and California Energy Wise foodservice rebates to reduce Tadich’s energy consumption by an estimated 20,000 kWh. His efforts earned him the PG&E and Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) Carbon Cutter Award in 2010.

Buich feels that many restaurant owners overlook utilities as a source for saving money and he encourages his fellow restaurateurs to take advantage of all the resources PG&E and the FSTC have to offer. “Through PG&E, I have three to four people, who are not on my payroll, totally devoted to helping me save energy.” And given how pressed for time he is, Buich finds value in having “go to” people when he has questions about billing, energy using projects and gas or electric service.

Follow along as Tadich Grill implements additional energy efficiency measures including improvements to its hot water heating and dishwashing system.

- Equipment Rebates
- Energy Tips
- Green Sheets