CHICAGO The NRA Show continued on Monday, with attendees discussing such varied topics as how to make their restaurants greener and how to hire and train a talented workforce.
Media mogul Ted Turner and restaurant veteran George McKerrow Jr., the co-founders of Ted’s Montana Grill, spoke on a panel about the “green revolution” along with Charlie Ayers, the former executive chef of Google and the owner of sustainability-focused Calafia Café in Palo Alto, Calif. Turner spoke about how an interest in reading books about nature as a child ultimately sparked a passion for the environment.
“I learned if the environment is in trouble, we’re in trouble, too,” he said. “We just have to take better care of the environment, and it will take care of us.”
Sweeping change happens in small steps, McKerrow said, adding that one of the simplest ways any restaurant can conserve electricity is switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. At Ted’s Montana Grill, that switch ended up saving the restaurant company $80,000 in the first year alone.
“That return on investment is real,” he said.
Ayers spoke about his restaurant’s focus on local, sustainably raised food, noting that almost every ingredient used in Calafia’s food comes from within 150 miles of the restaurant. The only exceptions: salmon, chocolate and coffee. However, he noted that a big part of his mission at Calafia involved educating customers, who are confused why certain items aren’t on the menu.
“I say no on my menu all the time,” he said. “People ask for out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and I explain why we don’t do it. That education is essential to get people to buy into the idea.”
So much of a restaurant’s reputation is in the hands of its unit-level employees, and the winners of 2008 SPIRIT Awards talked Monday about the importance of recruiting, training and motivating workers. The awards recognize excellence in employee recruitment and retention programs in the foodservice industry.
“There are people who can do the job and there are people who have the attitude,” said Mike Speck , vice president of training and human resources for Qdoba Mexican Grill, the SPIRIT Award winner in the quick-service category. “Our goal is to find the people with the skills and the right attitude.”
The 2008 winners, which also included Morton’s The Steakhouse, Sodexo and Carino’s Italian, talked about the role social media was playing in recruiting workers and reaching out to customers. Arie Ball, Sodexo’s vice president of sourcing and talent acquisition, said the company has been using social media channels for two years.
“We used to use [social media] to be connected with Gen Y,” she said. “Now it’s changing. It’s moved to the mainstream, and it’s multigenerational.”
The action continued on the show floor, which some operators and exhibitors acknowledged to be less packed than it has been in previous years. Tim Taft, chief executive of Souper Salads Inc. in Lewisville, Texas, said his first impression upon entering the NRA Show floor was that the numbers were down.
"However, you can tell operators really are paying attention to new products and ideas, especially if they can save money," he said.
Stay tuned here on NRN.com and on our blog, Show News by NRN ,for the latest action from Chicago. You can also follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nrnonline . At the show? Stop by our booth (#1443).
Contact Molly Gise at [email protected] .