NRA Show Blog

Top industry experts share successes and tips at NRA Show 2011

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Restaurateurs and other foodservice industry professionals will find take-home tools and solutions to improve restaurant businesses with more than 70 education sessions at the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show – set for May 21-24 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
 
The sessions are free to all attendees registered for NRA Show 2011, and will tackle such issues as social media and commerce, increasing sustainability efforts, new technology innovations, what the new dietary guidelines will mean to restaurant operators, and how philanthropy can boost business and other topics critical to operator success.
 
“Trends, challenges and technologies are constantly evolving in the restaurant industry, and operators need to stay up-to-speed in order to maximize their business opportunities now and into the future,” said C.W. Craig Reed, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2011 and Director of Food and Beverage, Broadmoor Hotel. “We focus the educational component of the NRA Show on proven best-practices and tactics that can be immediately implemented, as well as built into long-term strategies, and tailor information to various industry segments.” 

It’s time for an Oscar Party!

By Kristina Vanni, Food & Recipes Contributor

This year you can eat and drink just like the stars, but in the comfort of your own living room!  Here you have all the tools to throw an Oscar bash of your very own. First of all, you have to spice things up with a small wager. You and your guests can fill out Oscar ballots with your predictions and even play Oscar Bingo! Download the official forms here: Oscar Ballots and Oscar Bingo

Next step -- snacks! I met up with the legendary Wolfgang Puck himself and he was nice enough to share some of his culinary wisdom with Better Recipes. Here is his advice on how to throw a Hollywood A-list party in the comfort of your own home.

 

NRA Show 2011: Developing the experience, building your brand

 
Caption: Nick Sarillo (photo credit: Michael Edwards/Inc. Magazine)

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief, with contributing guest bloggers Rudy Miick, FCSI/CMC, president of the Miick Institute, Boulder, CO and Nick Sarillo, owner of Nick’s Pizza & Pub, Crystal Lake and Elgin, IL

The best part about presenting at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is creating a forum to share and discuss with other restaurant owners a topic Rudy Miick and Nick Sarillo are very passionate about: building a foundation of culture and leveraging it inside and outside of the restaurant, especially in marketing initiatives and social media outreach. With their upcoming education session at NRA Show 2011, “Wake Up! It Ain’t the Marketing, It’s the Experience!” on Monday, May 23, 12 to 1:30 p.m., they're going to provide attendees with some tangible action steps that will drive business performance, profitability and ongoing sales growth. Yes, even in this ever-evolving economy!

To provide some background, Nick Sarillo’s amazing run with Nick’s Pizza & Pub has Inc. Magazine calling him the “Blue-Collar Millionaire” in a story that ranked eighth most popular in 2010. It's easy to see why: In the past two years, he’s run a 20 percent food cost and has team member retention of 80 percent (that’s only 20 percent turnover per annum). Nick and his team are driven by a sense of purpose and operational values that guide every decision, every action, every interview and every marketing and social media strategy. His team executes events that exceed the brand promise and create a high-performing brand experience.

2011 Kitchen Innovations Award goes to cutting-edge foodservice equipment innovators

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

The National Restaurant Association today announced the recipients of the annual 2011 Kitchen Innovations™ (KI) Award. An independent panel of judges comprised of internationally recognized food facilities consultants, multi-unit executives and design experts selected KI Award recipients for their groundbreaking innovations in the foodservice marketplace.

KI products will be showcased in the interactive Kitchen Innovations Pavilion area at NRA Show 2011 (at Chicago’s McCormick Place, May 21-24).

“Each of the judges has the hands-on experience and real-life expertise to recognize the tools that are truly going to have a substantial impact on the efficiency and success of a restaurant’s kitchen and ultimately the success of the restaurant itself,” says C.W. Craig Reed, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2011 and Director of Food and Beverage, Broadmoor Hotel.

Celebrate National Margarita Day

 
By Nathan Greene, Resident Mixologist

Today is National Margarita Day and what better way to enjoy the day than with freshly made margaritas. This year's International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) will feature Amate Tequila on the "tasting floor." You're really missing out if not familiar with Amate’s Silver, Reposado or Anejo.

Here are two recipes you can whip up easily using Amate Silver and Amate Reposado.

A traditional margarita recipe featuring Amate Silver:

1 ½ oz Amate Silver Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
¾ oz Lime Juice
¼ oz Agave Necatar
Grand Marnier Float

Education sessions offer tools to power-up bar programs

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Restaurant and bar operators look to the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) – the industry’s premier beverage alcohol forum – for the latest in menu trends, pairings and education.

Beverage alcohol can be an important part of the overall restaurant experience, and a significant driver of restaurant sales – up to 27.5 percent at fine dining restaurants, according to National Restaurant Association research – so keeping up to date with the latest trends, techniques, equipment and strategies is crucial to success.

The education sessions will address how to integrate a seasonal beverage program, tailor the program to the food, engage a knowledgeable beverage staff, and more.

Travel spending highest in 6 years

The recent announcement that travel and tourism spending has increased means good news for the restaurant industry. International travelers to the United States support more than 1 million travel and tourism jobs.

The Commerce Department recently announced that real travel and tourism spending rose 8 percent in the third quarter of 2010, the greatest quarterly increase since the first quarter of 2004.

The remarkable growth last year is excellent news for small and medium-sized businesses, said Francisco Sãnchez, undersecretary of commerce for international trade. Those businessess represent more than 80 percent of the travel and tourism industry.

A dark chocolate martini to sip and savor

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Did you know chocolate contains a compound known as phenylethylamine, the same chemical the brain produces when we fall in love? Savor this Valentine’s Day with every sip of a rich dark chocolate martini recipe by The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. 

Red velvet seduces the nation

 
By Nancy Kruse, Menu Trends Contributor

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day for seeing red, but attendees of the upcoming 2011 National Restaurant Association Hotel-Motel Show will be wearing rose-colored glasses, too. The hot flavor trend of the moment is red velvet, the sumptuous dessert classic that’s being re-imagined as a side dish (red velvet hush puppies), for breakfast (red velvet pancakes and donuts) and as a beverage (red velvet teas and cocktails).

Industry-first Food & Beverage Product Innovations Awards to be showcased at NRA Show 2011

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Innovation fuels progress in the restaurant and foodservice industry – at the same time helps shape consumer tastes – as new food and beverage products break onto the scene. The National Restaurant Association is seeking innovative food and beverage products that have a significant impact on the industry, and will recognize the “best in class” at its annual trade show this May.

An independent panel of expert judges will select the recipients of the first annual Food & Beverage Product Innovations Awards, to be showcased at the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. The award recipients will be announced in late April 2011.