For more than 10 years, Minneapolis-based Restaurant Technologies has sold the used cooking oil it collects from restaurants to Renewable Energy Group to use as a feedstock to produce biodiesel and renewable diesel. Now the company will be using that biodiesel itself to cut the carbon emissions of its fleet.

Restaurant Technologies delivers cooking oil to restaurants and takes away their used cooking oil, selling it to renewable diesel and biodiesel companies, with its primary customer Ames, Iowa-based REG. (REG has been in business for two decades but was recently acquired by Chevron.)

In 2021 alone, REG converted used oil collected from Restaurant Technologies’ 34,000+ customers to more than 300 million pounds of lower-carbon fuel. With Restaurant Technologies now using these lower-carbon fuels in its own fleet, the two organizations are creating a working circular economy.

Biodiesel and renewable diesel are lower-carbon alternatives to traditional petroleum diesel that may help fleet operators reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of their operations. The fuels are traditionally used as a blend, either being blended with one another to produce a 100% renewable fuel or blended with petroleum diesel. Restaurant Technologies will initially use a blend of 30% to 50% InfiniD biodiesel, with the remainder petroleum diesel.

From Fries to Fuel

“At Restaurant Technologies, our goal has always been to reduce the impact on humans and the environment by better managing cooking oil,” said Jeff Kiesel, president and CEO of Restaurant Technologies. “And as a company focused on sustainability, we are really excited to be able to 'walk the walk' by fueling our own commercial fleet with biofuel created from the used cooking oil we collect.”

Chevron Renewable Energy Group is already delivering biofuels to power Restaurant Technologies’ fleet located at the Des Moines, Iowa depot, with plans to expand to more depot locations across the nation.“Chevron believes the future of energy is lower carbon. And bio-based diesel is a lower carbon solution for the transportation sector,” said Kevin Lucke, president of Chevron Renewable Energy Group. “Our collaboration with Restaurant Technologies to secure renewable feedstocks has been critical to our work for years. Now it’s our turn to help them achieve their sustainability goals through the use of biofuels, with the adoption of our EnDura Fuels.”