Industry of the American Dream

The National Restaurant Association is looking for the next face of diversity for their 2009 Faces of Diversity Awards. This exemplary award, created by the NRA and PepsiCo Foodservice, celebrates individuals in the restaurant industry who are living the American dream.

The 2009 Faces of Diversity Awards application is now available.
Apply online or download the PDF application now! [3.3 MB PDF]

Check out the 2008 American Dream Award Winners:

Eddie Flores

Henry Garcia




Nicole Jackson

View more winner videos and more online at http://www.youtube.com/restaurantdotorg.

What Restaurants are Doing to Conserve

The National Restaurant Association's Conserve environmental initiative is designed to initiate and inspire actions that improve a company's bottom line, but also are good for people and the planet. Conserve explores conservation efforts being adopted by restaurants around the nation and offers suggestions and resources to help you reduce the cost of running your operation -- both to your bottom line and the environment.

The NRA Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability website hosts everything from resources, success stories, tips and tools to an overview of environmental issues, webinars, and upcoming event information.

An excellent resource for the restaurant industry!

NRA Conserve & Eco-Story Hosting Lighting Webinar

Webinar: Focus on Lighting – From CFLs to LEDs and Beyond

When: Thursday, November 13, 2008 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Panelist(s) Info:
Richard Young, Food Service Technology Center
Mark Shoemaker, Eco-Story
Scott Shippey, Chipotle

Duration: 1 hour

Description: Richard Young of the Food Service Technology Center is back following Conserve’s first webinar and education session at NRA Show 2008, “5 Things an Operator Must Know About Energy Efficiency,” to present the benefits of selecting the right energy-efficient lighting for your restaurant. Innovations in lighting technology are continually introduced and it can be hard to keep up, but Mark Shoemaker of Eco-Story will explain the finer points of new lighting technologies and will give us peek into the future of lighting for the restaurant industry. In addition, Scott Shippey will anchor this webinar by sharing results from Chipotle’s new lighting initiative.

This webinar is brought to you by NRA Conserve and Eco-Story.

A Must See NRA Video!

Inspirational 6-minute video put together by the National Restaurant Association tributing what restaurants do for our country — their impact on their employees, on careers, on communities and on the nation's economy. Great to show to staff teams, business colleagues, community groups and others.

We watched this at our recent IRA Annual Meeting - it is very good!

Download the QuickTime movie here (approximately 100 MB).

Or order your copy on DVD today.

NRA Emergency Preparedness Webinar: August 12th at 2PM

The NRA is hosting an 1 hour webinar Tuesday of next week. The webinar's focus is on: Bringing Emergency Preparedness to Communities. Here is a brief description from their website.

An emergency can occur any time. It could be an auto accident, fire, disease outbreak or a major natural disaster. Restaurants must prepare for potential emergencies, especially since their communities often rely on them as a food source in times of crisis. Discover what you need to do with resources from the American Dietetic Association. The association recently completed a year-long initiative that resulted in the creation of an Emergency Preparedness Task Force. The task force addresses ADA members’ needs and provides resources. Find out how the ADA and the National Restaurant Association Quality Assurance Study Group are working together to help restaurants and their communities prepare for disasters.

Date & time: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 2:00 pm

Speaker:
Laura A. McNally, team leader, state and local initiatives, U.S. Public Health Service

TO REGISTER: Go to the NRA website at http://restaurant.org/events/webinars