The programs and events at this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show will focus on helping restaurateurs grow their businesses as the economy recovers from its long downturn.
More than 70 educational sessions will offer insights into a broad range of topics intended to help operators cut costs and increase operational efficiencies. Food trucks, social media and the ramifications of the recently passed health-care reform legislation also will share the spotlight at the show, which will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from May 22-25.
“We’ve got sessions that relate to running, managing and marketing restaurant operations,” said Mary Pat Heftman, the NRA’s executive vice president of convention. “But new this year will be a track on health care—what restaurant operators need to know. It will deal with such issues as patient protection, affordable health care and the far-reaching implications for the hospitality industry and how to anticipate those changes. We want to provide answers for operators as they look forward, such as what it will really cost and what it will mean to current coverage, all of the nitty-gritty they need to know.”
Heftman added that another hot topic—credit-card processing fees—would be addressed in an educational session.
“This is one of the interesting, hot topics right now in the business community,” she said. “We’re going to feature a session on understanding the processing of credit-card fees. It can be far-reaching depending on who the provider is and what the specific terms of the agreement are.”
Also on tap are sessions and demonstrations focusing on healthful foods for both adult and kid customers. One program, called “Turning Healthy Trends Into Healthy Profits,” will explain why better-for-you menu items are not a fad, especially at a time when the obesity crisis appears to be growing and sodium reduction also is top of mind. The other seminar, “The ‘New’ Kids Meals: Kid Tested, Nutritionist Approved,” will feature culinary experts discussing why healthful choices have to taste good or else children won’t eat them and how they have accomplished that task.
Another session, entitled “Menu Labeling: Are You Equipped for the New Labeling Laws?” will offer operators and government relations experts talking about their experiences in implementing menu labeling across the country.
In addition to the educational sessions being offered, the show also will highlight the latest products and equipment from manufacturers and suppliers to the foodservice industry. According to Heftman, some 1,800 companies will exhibit their wares.
“Our exhibit space has surpassed last year,” she said. “It’s like a treasure trove. I think the industry definitely feels and is excited about getting back together, and touching and testing new products and sampling new menu ideas.”
She further indicated that attendance this year is up from last year’s figures, which had declined as a result of the recession.
“I’m getting the impression that people are positive about the future and are feeling more confident about what’s in front of them,” she said.
In a nod to another of the industry’s hottest trends, the show this year will feature a mobile truck pavilion.
“Mobile trucks are a great phenomenon that is going on right now,” Heftman said. “It’s really exciting what we’ve learned —how they drive sales back to the brick-and-mortar buildings.”
And sustainability will take center stage this year at the Conserve Solutions Center, which will be located on the exhibit floor. Events, attractions and panel discussions will highlight the prevailing wisdom that going green is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but also a smart way to do business in today’s market.
The NRA show also will host its Hot Chef Challenge in which professional chefs, amateur cooks and culinary school students will compete using their favorite recipes and fresh produce. This is the third year the competition will be held.
Another competition, the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event, will feature a variety of educational sessions focused on bar programs, drink and food pairings, and product exhibits.