More than 2,000 suppliers exhibited their products at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. The energy on the show floor was high as more than 60,000 attendees visited the booths, sampling food and beverages and watching vendor demonstrations. Here is a look at the top three trends among exhibitors.
Special formulations steal the show
The NRA debuted a new pavilion this year with Alternative BiteStyle, a portion of the show floor dedicated to special dietary needs, including gluten-free, low-sodium and allergies such as nuts and dairy. Whether consumers need a special diet because of an allergy or illness, or they are just trying to eat healthier, there is an ever-growing collection of companies that offer something made with their needs in mind. Brands such as Udi’s Gluten Free , Hail Merry and WowButter Foods, maker of a nut,- dairy- and gluten-free peanut-flavored spread, specialize in products for consumers with special dietary needs, but there were plenty of traditional suppliers touting their gluten-free or nut-free products. (read more…)
Food is a powerful thing when it comes to triggering memories. Probably everyone can think of an experience that was at least partly defined by food eaten, whether it was a special occasion celebrated at a restaurant or a holiday eating a home-cooked meal with family. There are plenty of businesses that aim to deliver a memorable experience to consumers, and by not giving food and beverages the attention they deserve, some operators are missing an important opportunity to impress customers and keep them coming back.
At an education session at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show titled “How to Make Concessions Part of the Guest Experience, Not Just a Transaction,” Steve DiPrima, president of leisure services at Sodexo, moderated a panel discussion with three executives who manage guest experience at venues.
DiPrima opened the session by talking about the importance of venues in consumers’ live. “Think about your life experiences. (read more…)
In his keynote speech to NRA Show attendees Sunday, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz addressed the importance of balancing social responsibility and customer service with efforts to grow same-store sales.
Schultz first joined Starbucks in 1982, when the chain had only four stores. His dream was to create “the kind of company that our parents never got to work for,” he said. When the company went public in 1992 with 125 stores, it was the beginning of a long period of success for the coffee chain, during which “everything we touched turned to gold.” But speedy growth coupled with the nation’s unstable economy eventually led the company to put most of its efforts into growing same-store sales and stock prices. “The company began to measure and reward the wrong things,” Schultz said.
In 2008, Schultz gathered all of Starbucks’ store managers for a meeting in New Orleans, during which he laid out his plan to bring back the focus on strong customer service and community engagement on which the company had been founded. (read more…)
The Coca-Cola Company proudly sponsors this blog post and invites you to click here or visit our NRA Show exhibit (#4402) to learn more about how we can work together to make your business better!
The National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show in Chicago kicks off Saturday with an anticipated 58,000 attendees from all 50 states and 100 countries, and a trade show floor featuring an array of exhibitors showing off new products from more than 900 categories including beverage, food, uniforms, equipment and furniture.
The show’s four-day agenda includes a keynote from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and a talk and book signing with Anthony Bourdain, along with a slew of sessions and features aimed at addressing hot topics in the industry, including health care, sustainability and nutrition.
The Affordable Care Act puts health care on the front burner for restaurant companies as they navigate new rules and work to calculate the costs. (read more…)
Smoothie King founder Steve Kuhnau opened his first store in 1973, began franchising the original smoothie concept in 1989 and last year sold his controlling interest in the 600-unit chain to SK USA and successful South Korean franchisee Wan Kim, who took over as CEO.
The company announced last week that it has signed 49 new franchise agreements, and Smoothie King is seeing signs that the post-recession funding shortage is starting to ease, Kim said this week. We talked with him Tuesday to get his thoughts on franchising and hear about what’s next for the New Orleans-based chain.
On motivating franchisees
I told my team “I think like a franchisee, I know what they need.” So for less than a year, I have been telling my team that whatever we do, we should be able to translate it into sales or profits to the franchisees, then they will understand why they have to do this. (read more…)
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