Typical restaurant energy consumption
Consumption depends heavily on covers per week, menu style and whether cooking is gas or electric led. A small café-style restaurant may sit near the lower end of the range, while a full-service kitchen with multiple ovens, fryers and walk-in chillers sits at the higher end.
| Restaurant size | Electricity (kWh/yr) | Gas (kWh/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Small café/bistro (under 40 covers) | 35,000 - 55,000 | 20,000 - 35,000 |
| Mid-size restaurant (40-80 covers) | 55,000 - 90,000 | 35,000 - 55,000 |
| Large restaurant/multi-site kitchen | 90,000 - 150,000+ | 55,000 - 90,000+ |
What drives the cost
- Cooking ranges, combi ovens and fryers running through service hours
- Extraction and ventilation systems required for food safety compliance
- Refrigeration and walk-in chillers running continuously, 24 hours a day
- Dishwashing equipment with high hot water and electricity demand
- Front-of-house lighting, heating and air conditioning across long trading hours
Gas versus electricity split
Restaurants using gas cooking ranges typically split spend close to evenly between fuels, with gas covering cooking and hot water while electricity covers refrigeration, lighting and extraction fans. Fully electric kitchens shift the balance sharply towards electricity, often 70 percent or more of total spend.
Understanding this split matters when comparing quotes, as a supplier offering a strong electricity rate but a weak gas rate may not deliver the best overall deal for a gas-cooking kitchen.
Peak period exposure
Lunch and dinner service create sharp demand spikes as multiple appliances run simultaneously. On half-hourly metered sites this can affect capacity charges, so restaurants benefit from reviewing supply capacity against actual peak demand rather than paying for unused headroom.
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Standing charges and meter type
Most restaurants sit on a commercial quarter-hourly or standard half-hourly electricity meter, and standing charges reflect the connection capacity required for kitchen equipment. Gas standing charges are generally lower but still material given consistent daily cooking demand.
Contract length and renewal timing
Fixed-term contracts of one to three years are standard, giving cost certainty against volatile food and energy margins. Renewal quotes should be sought 3 to 6 months before contract end, since leaving it to the last minute typically means being rolled onto a supplier's more expensive out-of-contract rate.
How to compare restaurant energy prices
- Gather 12 months of electricity and gas invoices or meter readings
- Confirm meter type, MPAN/MPRN details and current contract end date
- Ask suppliers to quote separately for electricity and gas so the split can be checked
- Compare unit rates and standing charges together, not unit rate alone