CHICAGO — Restaurateurs looking for ways to ramp up environmental efforts and find greener business solutions could find the information, products, services and contacts they need in a new feature at the 2010 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® here next month.
The Conserve Solutions Center, located on the exhibit floor at McCormick Place, will highlight how “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.
It will showcase exhibits highlighting a range of products and services to help restaurant operators reduce energy and water use, decrease waste, find ideas for “green” remodeling and construction projects, and more.
It will also feature a series of sustainability-focused presentations and panel discussions that will explain how to put ideas into practice and how to select the best options for specific restaurant operations.
More than 1,800 companies will be exhibiting during the May 22-25 show.
Scheduled exhibitors include companies that manufacture or supply laundry equipment; uniforms; hospitality and rooms linen; laundry chemicals; linen carts; delivery trucks; and linen supply/rental services.
A partial list includes Alsco, Baltic Linen Co., Chef Works, Chicago Dryer Co., Cintas Corp., Dickies Occupational Wear, Ecolab, Electrolux Professional, Garnier Thiebaut, Gourmet Tableskirts & Linens, Happy Chef Uniforms, Milnor Laundry Systems, Riegel-Mount Vernon Mills, Something Different Linen, Standard Textile Co. and White Towel Services. (For a complete, searchable list of 2010 exhibitors, click here, then the "Find Exhibitors" tab.)
“It can be challenging to busy operators to identify ways in which their restaurant can do what’s right for the planet and what’s right for their business at the same time,” says Ira Cohn, the show’s chairman and president of ARAMARK Business and Industry Group. “The Conserve Solutions Center will be a one-stop-shop for any sustainability-related business needs.”
NRA research shows that environmentally sustainable practices are important to today’s consumers. Four out of 10 say they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on a restaurant’s conservation practices. And restaurants are responding: 40% of full-service restaurants and 31% of quick-service restaurants plan to devote more resources to green initiatives in 2010.
All attendees will have access to dozens of expert-led professional development opportunities on a range of business-enhancing topics.
“Keeping up with the latest trends, success strategies and innovations is crucial to building profits and controlling costs in any restaurant, and the NRA Show offers unparalleled opportunities to learn from recognized industry experts,” Cohn says.
“From staff motivation to word-of-mouth marketing, choosing greener solutions to menu development, our 65-plus education sessions will cover how to succeed in all aspects of restaurant operations.”
The Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals, promoters say, and attracts tens of thousands of attendees and visitors from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
Running in conjunction with the NRA show on May 23-24 will be the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB). It’s the restaurant-and-hospitality industry’s only forum focused exclusively on operator beverage alcohol-related needs.
More information about the Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is available at the event’s website, www.restaurant.org.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].