Food Service Wastewater Characteristics

Across the nation, food service establishments using onsite wastewater treatment systems often experience pretreatment system and/or drain field performance problems. This study used statistical analysis of restaurant management practice and primary cuisine type to observe their influence on five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total fats, oils, and greases (FOG), total suspended solids (TSS), and daily flow. Twenty-eight Texas restaurants were involved in the study and were selected to represent a variety of restaurant types. Each restaurant was asked to self-report information on management practices by completing a survey. Wastewater concentrations were determined by analyzing grab samples. Daily flow values were obtained by taking the difference between daily meter readings. Statistical analyses consisted of using multiple regression with backwards elimination and repeated measures using stepwise elimination to determine how management practices and cuisine type may have influenced wastewater characteristics. The analysis also consisted of determining to what extent management practice and cuisine type could be used to estimate BOD5, FOG, TSS, and daily flow. The number of seats in a restaurant, use of self-serve salad bars, and primary cuisine type were found to play a role in wastewater characteristics.