News

May 16, 2008

NRA Show to Feature 'Green' Sessions, Products, More

"Going green" has become a way of doing business in the restaurant industry -- and there's no better place to see it than on the floor of NRA Show 2008, which opens May 17 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Over the four days of the Show, the 70,000-plus restaurant professionals at this year's event can take advantage of a series of specialized education sessions about incorporating environmentally friendly practices in their operations.

The exhibit floor will also feature dozens of exhibiting companies with the latest energy-efficient equipment, energy-management technologies, bio-frendly packaging, sustainable seafood and more.

"The 2008 NRA Show offers opportunities to learn how to implement environmentally responsible practices that also help conserve financial resources," said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2008 Show, and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood Inc.

The Show's education sessions include a session with Steve Ells, founder/chairman/CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, talking about his company's efforts on sustainability, and restaurant energy-efficiency experts from ENERGY STAR and the Food Service Technology Center talking about ways to reduce utility bills in restaurants.

National Restaurant Association research shows that 62 percent of consumers say they are likely to choose a restaurant based on its environmental friendliness, and nearly one-third of restaurant operators plan to allocate a larger part of their budget to such efforts this year.

Read the NRA news release for more details on the "greening of the NRA Show."