Restaurateurs looking for ways to ramp up environmental efforts and find greener business solutions will find the information, products, services, and contacts they need in a new feature at the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. Located on the exhibit floor, the Conserve Solutions Center 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.
The Conserve Solutions Center will provide NRA Show 2010 attendees with both inspiration and tools to increase sustainability efforts, which in turn can save on operating costs, increase productivity, motivate staff, and attract eco-conscious diners. NRA Show 2010 will be held May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
“It can be challenging for 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, convention chair for NRA Show 2010 and president of ARAMARK Business and Industry Group. “The Conserve Solutions Center will be a one-stop-shop for any sustainability-related business needs, where NRA Show 2010 attendees can learn how to best incorporate greener practices into their restaurants, as well as find the equipment, products, and services to make it part of everyday operations.”
The Conserve Solutions Center 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. The pavilion will feature both full exhibit booths and a “kiosk garden” with compact exhibits and “satellites” to booths located elsewhere on the trade show floor.
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.
National Restaurant Association 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 percent of full-service restaurants and 31 percent of quick-service restaurants plan to devote more resources to green initiatives in 2010.
The Conserve Solutions Center is an extension of the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability initiative and Web site. The initiative’s goal is to encourage and assist restaurant operators to increase their environmental efforts while preserving—and boosting—their bottom line. The Web site, Conserve.Restaurant.org, provides tips, tools, and resources to help restaurants reduce their environmental footprint and increase business.
The National Restaurant Association will also make an announcement about the unveiling of its new national recognition program “Greener Restaurants” in the Conserve Solutions Center during NRA Show 2010.
