CHICAGO National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Fourteen sessions will cover environmental issues in some form, and the first International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event will offer advice on strategies to increase profits through innovative beverage programs. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
This year’s show is set for May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago and will showcase 2,150-plus exhibitors in nearly 900 product categories and more than 65 education sessions. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The keynote speaker will be Jim Skinner, vice chairman and chief executive of McDonald’s Corp. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The education sessions dealing with sustainability and environmentally friendly practices will cover such topics as energy efficiency, water conservation, organics and sustainable menu items. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
NRA research shows that 62 percent of consumers are likely to choose a restaurant based on its environmental friendliness, and nearly one-third of restaurant operators plan to allocate a larger part of their budget to such efforts this year. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
In addition, the NRA’s survey of more than 1,200 chefs shows that organics, local produce and sustainable seafood are among the hottest menu trends today. Kitchen equipment that saves water and energy is the second hottest equipment trend, after multipurpose equipment. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“Certainly, energy is most critical to restaurant operations,” says Mary Pat Heftman, the NRA’s senior vice president of convention. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The sessions are structured so operators just starting to look at sustainability and other environmental practices can receive basic information, she says, while those who are further along can attend sessions with more intermediate information. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
During the sessions, attendees will receive how-to tips and new ideas to incorporate in their businesses. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Steve Ells, founder and chief executive of Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill, will address how he is leading the chain toward sustainable practices with food, buildings and staff. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
A session on marketing will offer suggestions on how to reach consumers who practice conservation and are concerned about the food they eat. In line with that, another session will focus on adding natural, organic and locally grown menu choices to casual-dining operations. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Other sessions will cover energy efficiency, making seafood and animal products more sustainable, building customer loyalty by being green, socially responsible food sourcing in collegiate foodservice, and how operators can reduce their carbon footprints by sourcing renewable energy to provide power to their restaurants. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The education sessions for the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event are scheduled for May 19-20 in the IWSB Theatre, Booth 8332. The NRA is billing the event as the restaurant and hospitality industry’s first forum focused exclusively on growing profits based on the latest ideas for food-alcohol pairings, beverage alcohol trends, merchandising, distributor relationships and responsible alcohol service. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“We really felt that this segment of the business is an item that needed to be separate and focused on because not everyone has a bar program,” Heftman says. “We can address it in a deeper fashion.” —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Alcoholic beverages are a hot culinary trend, according to the NRA’s “What’s Hot & What’s Not” survey of more than 1,200 chefs. They ranked craft beer, energy-drink cocktails, martinis, artisan liquors, organic wine and specialty beer in the top 20 trends. Deglazing, reductions and sauces, as well as signature cocktails, food-beer pairings, beer sommeliers, food-wine pairings and wine sommeliers are also among the hottest culinary trends. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
A session titled “Trends in Beverage Alcohol” will explore how to leverage those trends to enhance bar programs. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“Beverage Promotions that Maximize Sales” will present ideas for unique promotions, menu designs, food-beverage pairings and effective training materials. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“An Executive View of Responsible Alcohol Service” will focus on making responsible alcohol service an integral part of corporate culture by building awareness from the top of the organization all the way to servers and customers. The session also will explore restaurants’ involvement in regulatory and legislative issues. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
An interactive tasting session, presented with The Culinary Institute of America, will discuss trendy food and beverage pairings. Two other sessions will focus on improving relationships with distributors and wholesalers and developing customer-loyalty programs. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Food and alcohol pairings also will be featured in the Culinary Scene area, on Level 3 of the South Hall. Chefs and chef instructors from the Culinary Institute of America and the Research Chefs Association will demonstrate their creativity in developing dishes based on new recipes and flavor combinations and pairing them with alcoholic beverages. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The Culinary Scene area also will host the winner of the NRA’s first “Hot Chef” YouTube contest. The winner will give a live 60-minute demonstration at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17, and have his or her video featured on the NRA show website. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
The contest encourages professional and amateur chefs to submit short videos of themselves preparing their favorite recipes using trendy food and alcohol ingredients. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Visitors to YouTube can vote for their top three favorite chefs, and an NRA panel will choose the winner. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“We just thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Heftman says. “We can show off somebody who may be in a much smaller market and inspire people to enter the field. … It generates excitement for restaurants at large.” —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Even as restaurant operators contemplate changes in their environmental practices or how to boost sales through new food and beverage programs, there’s another issue they have to deal with: rising costs. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“Protecting Margins in the Face of Staggering Food Cost Inflation” will identify the best practices of leading foodservice operators who are successfully managing their supply chains to maximize purchasing power. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Attendees at “How to Lower Your Food Cost 5 Percent in 30 Days” will have an opportunity to learn production and portion controls, right pricing, menu streamlining and marketing low-cost alternatives. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
A number of marketing-related sessions are scheduled, one of which focuses on reaching the target audience through non-traditional media. “Restaurant Marketing in a Digital World” will offer tips on how to combine the new media of e-mail, mobile ads, online ordering and reservations, social networking, viral marketing and the Internet with traditional media to reach consumers. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Skinner’s keynote speech is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18, in the Grand Ballroom of McCormick Place. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Skinner was named to his current post in November 2004 after having served in a number of leadership positions for the Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
In the past, government leaders and politicians have given the keynote address, but the NRA wanted an insider’s look at the industry this year, Heftman says. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
“He has a real passion for training and development,” she says, “and he has a real ability to unite people.” —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
Based on Skinner’s experience with McDonald’s, his speech will provide “tremendous professional development and insights,” Heftman says. —The “greening” of the restaurant industry and hot trends in alcoholic beverages will be the focus of a special series of education sessions at the 2008
