NRA Show Blog

Sweet Things, Cool Ride

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

The crave-able flavor and versatility of sweet potatoes just got a whole lot sweeter.

Get a load of this. Now through May 28, 2010, qualifying foodservice operators around the country can receive a free case of any Sweet Things Sweet Potato product from ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. Redemption of this offer ranging from a variety of fries, dices, mashed and chips automatically enters takers in a drawing to win the following prizes.

•    Grand Prize: a new Chevrolet® Camaro® car
•    1st Prizes: 4 Vespa® S 150 scooters
•    2nd Prizes: 10 Canon® PowerShot® digital cameras
•    3rd Prizes: 15 iPod nano® MP3 players

Operators interested in winning can enter on-line, ask their Lamb Weston sales rep for an entry form or by visiting the ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston booth at the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show 2010. An operator and their distributor of choice win the same prize. How’s that for the power of orange? For more information about the Sweet Things Sweet Ride Sweepstakes, log on to Lamb Weston’s Web site.

If you’re not already registered for NRA Show 2010, set for May 22-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, you could be losing out on your chance to win a new Chevrolet Camaro. 

Menus 2010: Turning Trends Into Money Makers

By Nancy Kruse, guest blogger

Hot dogs are hot, casseroles are cool and small plates are big winners as foodservice operators reinvent their menus to lure recession-stressed consumers back to restaurants. Well-known menu trends expert Nancy Kruse, president of Atlanta-based The Kruse Company and Nation's Restaurant News contributing columnist will share her insights about which foods, flavors and prep techniques are likely to drive customer traffic, including how adding more greens to the menu will put more green in the cash register. This popular, fast paced education session of menu news-makers and noisemakers will take place on Sunday, May 23, 10 a.m. at the National Restaurant Association's annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at Chicago's McCormick Place.

NRA Show 2010’s more than 70 free education sessions are organized in tracks by the National Restaurant Association’s industry imperatives: Jobs and Careers; Food and Healthy Living; Sustainability and Social Responsibility, and Profitability and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the technology-related sessions will focus on the latest tech information.

Visit the NRA Show 2010 Web site for full roster of education sessions and the National Restaurant Association's annual "What's Hot in 2010" chef survey results.

Experts Maximize Restaurant Style, Operational Efficiency

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

The profitability of any restaurant is ultimately dependent on the experience had by its guests. Ambiance, customer service and optimized restaurant design often play an important role. That’s why registered attendees for the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show 2010 are given unique opportunities to sit down for one-on-one complimentary consultations with Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) member experts to discuss personalized ideas and solutions for front- and back-of house and management advisory services.

Created in tandem with FCSI, the Ask the Design Experts area at NRA Show 2010 will feature 120 free, 30-minute consultations with designers and management consultants. Reservations are required. Appointments for consultations with these experts must be booked online and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Design and management advisory experts from the following companies will be on hand to advise you:

Hot Chef Challenge Competition Heats Up

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Do you or someone you know think they can cook? Whether you’re a professional chef or just enjoy cooking at home for family and friends, put your cooking skills to the test and enter the NRA Show Hot Chef Challenge 2010.

Submit a two minute video on YouTube by April 29 demonstrating an original recipe, and you could win a chance to cook alongside one of America’s greatest chefs and Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters  2 participant Marcus Samuelsson, in the World Culinary Showcase on Saturday, May 22 at the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show 2010 in Chicago.

Fire it up and get cooking! Don't forget to tell all your friends to vote...also, remind them they must be signed in to their YouTube account in order to vote.

Wanted: Original Signature Cocktail for $5,000 Prize

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

The National Restaurant Association wants your signature cocktail.

Professional mixologists and amateurs alike are invited to put their pouring skills to the test for this first-ever IWSB Star of the Bar competition at the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event, held May 23-24 in Chicago. Submit a video on YouTube by April 26, preparing an original signature cocktail using any one of Bacardi’s brands - think Bacardi rum, Grey Goose, Dewar's, Bombay Sapphire and more - for a chance to win a $5,000 cash prize and more. 

Tell everyone you know to vote for you. Don’t forget to let them know they must be signed in to their YouTube account to vote.

Credit Card Processing Fees Add Up

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Do you know how much you pay for credit card processing and where those fees go? It’s a mystery to many restaurant operators. You may think you understand your card processing statement and what you pay for these services. Chances are, you probably don’t know the whole story. Making heads or tails of your your monthly card processing statements often takes a Philadelphia lawyer. They’re complex, to say the least — which makes it hard to determine the real rates and fees you pay.

You may be paying too much and not even realize it. Take this example, it’s not uncommon for processors to promise low introductory rates that increase without rhyme, reason or warning. What you don’t know can hurt you and your restaurant, including your bottom line.

The National Restaurant Association’s very own booth at NRA Show 2010 will feature the Know Your Credit Rates Calculator. It’s a nifty tool designed to help you find out just how much you’re paying credit card companies and bankcard associations. In fact, experts from Association partner Heartland Payment Systems will be available to answer any questions. 

Food Trucks Roll Into NRA Show 2010

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Food trucks are taking America’s food-loving streets by storm everywhere from Los Angeles to New York and Austin to Portland, Ore. to Milwaukee. These tweeting restaurants on wheels draw masses craving everything from sushi, waffles, cupcakes, Korean BBQ tacos, Indian curries, fried chicken, brats, every burger type you could imagine (think grass-fed, organic, and Black Angus to name a few) and many more.

Everyone from celebrity chefs like Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters 2 participant and chef/owner Ludo Lefebvre of food truck LudoBites to Milwaukee-based food truck Street-za Pizza co-owner Scott Baitinger to chains like Taco Bell and Baja Fresh have merged into the industry’s food truck fast lane.

In an effort to bring you up to speed on this growing industry phenomenon, the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show 2010, held May 22-25 in Chicago, plans to roll out all the “food truck stops," err, new Food Truck Spot pavilion and expert-led education sessions.

The Food Truck Spot pavilion at this year’s NRA Show will showcase everything - including actual food trucks - a restaurateur could possibly need to know. Expert-led education sessions addressing, you guessed it, food trucks will also be presented.

Blazing New Revenue Streams

By Peter Romeo, Restaurant Reality Check Blogger

This year’s Restaurant Executive Breakfast, the keynote session that kicks off the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show, is listed as Blazing New Revenue Streams. As the moderator, I’ve been thinking of it more as a lost installment of MythBusters, the cable TV hit that tests the validity of blindly held conventional wisdoms.

We, after all, will be exploding the commonly held belief that restaurateurs have little hope of growing their sales in the current economy. Isn’t the downturn in consumer spending the Immovable object of our time?

Not for the irresistible forces on this panel. Smart operators are finding new ways to nourish their top lines. We’ve enlisted several of the smartest to describe the alternative routes they’ve taken to sustain sales while traditional business is hampered by forces beyond their control.

You’ll hear about Jamba Juice’s brilliant success with licensing, a revenue source it’s systematically developing as part of a larger sales-diversification strategy. A number of chains have lent their names to retail food products. Consumers will soon find “Jamba Juice” on everything from toy blenders to trail mix and c-store beverages.

Early-bird Registration Ends April 16

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Tell everyone you know in the restaurant and hospitality industry to register by this Friday, April 16 to receive up to a 50 percent discount for the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show), May 22-25, and the International Wine, Spirits, and Beer Event (IWSB), May 23-24 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Early-bird registration is only $40 for the NRA Show and $95 for the NRA Show and IWSB. After April 16, registration is $80 for the NRA Show and $135 for the NRA Show and IWSB (that's one badge for two shows!).

Register today!

Education Delivers Social Media Rules to Win

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

A recent Nation’s Restaurant News article recognizes restaurants across the country are ramping up their social media strategies. This, of course, is nothing new to the National Restaurant Association or industry.

As people increasingly use online communities to stay connected with friends, family and their favorite businesses (including restaurants!), savvy restaurant operators will take their promotions to where their customers already spend their time. Using word of mouth marketing and social media strategies can be a highly effective and the cost-saving icing on the cake.

The impressive lineup of word of mouth marketing- and social media-focused education sessions at NRA Show 2010 will help restaurateurs take their social media game to the next level (or learn how to play the game, for newbies):