Underscoring the restaurant industry’s long-standing
commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, the National Restaurant Association and the California-based Healthy Dining Program will launch a groundbreaking, new Web site to help Americans easily identify smart choices on restaurant menus on August 28, 2006. Developed with partial funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
new Web site represents a collaborative effort by the restaurant
industry to support public health.
“We applaud the restaurants that are taking the lead in this initiative and look forward to having more restaurants join this important program,” says Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the National Restaurant Association. “Our research shows that nearly three out of four Americans say they are trying to eat more healthfully in restaurants than they did two years ago. The HealthyDiningFinder.com
web site is a great resource for those looking to make smart choices
when dining at their favorite restaurant. ”
The free resource will enable consumers
to search for participating restaurants based on location, type of
cuisine, price range, take-out availability and other criteria. Detailed
nutrition information (calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
sodium, protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fruit/vegetable servings) is
provided for each menu item featured.
“The web site offers tremendous advantages to restaurants,” says Erica
Bohm, M.S., vice president of Healthy Dining. “In an increasingly
competitive market, the Healthy Dining Program provides restaurants with
unparalleled opportunities to attract new customers, enhance customer
loyalty, and position themselves as innovative industry leaders, with a
competitive edge.”
A unique aspect of the multi-faceted Healthy Dining Program is the
ongoing marketing campaign that leverages the support of thousands of
health professionals, fitness leaders, employers, and others to promote
the site and participating restaurants. Another aspect of this program
is search engine optimization strategies, which will target the 16
million health/diet-related Internet searches that occur each month. And
yet another component is a high profile consumer media campaign.
“Participating restaurants will receive tremendous positive publicity
through HealthyDiningFinder.com’s marketing campaign,” Bohm said.
“It’s a win-win all the way around.”
Every type of restaurant–from quickservice to fine dining, from
independents to the nation’s largest chains–is encouraged to enroll in
the program. A few of the “early birds” already participating include:
Arby’s, P.F. Chang’s, Buca di Beppo, Cracker Barrel, Round Table Pizza,
El Pollo Loco, and Famous Dave’s.
