NRA News

Consumer demand for environmentally-friendly menu items continues to grow, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast.

The data, part of the association's annual Restaurant Trends Survey, found the trend for sustainable foods increased among consumers in all segments, and most particularly at higher end establishments. In fact, 55 percent of adults said they were more likely to visit a restaurant that offered food grown or raised locally, organically or in environmentally friendly ways.

"The fact is diners of all ages are much more sophisticated and knowledgeable about food, nutrition and sustainable practices," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the NRA's Research & Knowledge Group. "Not only do they want to be able to make more informed dining choices, they also want to help protect the environment when and where they can."

The National Restaurant Association launched Kids LiveWell in 2011 with 19 inaugural restaurant companies offering healthful children's menu options in more than 15,000 locations nationwide. The first-of-its-kind voluntary initiative focuses on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and limiting unhealthy fats, sugars and sodium.

On Feb. 9, the Association will announce the program's significant growth and a number of new restaurant participants.

In addition, the Association will host a "Twitter party" Feb. 9 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET via the hashtag #kidslivewell. Register here.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest Kids LiveWell news? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Kids LiveWell is just one example of how the National Restaurant Association is taking a proactive role in helping the industry address our nation's healthy living challenges and providing more options for consumers.

Culinary and hospitality students will benefit from a restaurant chain's fundraising campaign for the second year in a row.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation each will receive $20,000 grants from Yard House Restaurants. The funds, from the Irvine, Calif.-based company's Round It Up America campaign, will support NRAEF and CRAEF scholarships and ProStart programs.

Last year, NRAEF and CRAEF each received $15,000 grants from the campaign.

As Congress begins to debate whether to extend a payroll-tax cut for American employees beyond Feb. 29, the National Restaurant Association is encouraging Congress to act swiftly to extend two other tax provisions important to restaurants: a 15-year restaurant depreciation schedule and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

Congress let both tax provisions expire at the end of 2011. The NRA has mounted a widescale campaign to tell Congress why it's so important to provide tax certainty to restaurateurs, in order to spur businesses to put money back into their operations and create more jobs. The NRA submitted testimony on this issue to the Senate Finance Committee last week and this week sends a letter to every member of Congress to encourage immediate action on the WOTC and depreciation, asking lawmakers to extend the benefits retroactively to Jan. 1.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is available to employers when they hire certain individuals in groups that often face barriers to employment, to offset the cost of hiring and training. The depreciation provision allows restaurateurs to depreciate the cost of building improvements and new construction over 15 years, rather than 39.5 years.

The National Restaurant Association’s Director of Nutrition & Healthy Living Joy Dubost, Ph.D., R.D., provides regular commentary on the NRA News blog. Her latest tips focus on the importance of a healthful breakfast.

Breakfast is important to everyone's overall health and performance. It is a morning refueling stop that your body needs to replenish its glucose, also called blood sugar, the main energy source for the brain.

Research has found that breakfast consumption:

Two National Restaurant Association board members have begun their mission to tour the U.S. Air Force's global foodservice operations in preparation for the 2012 John L. Hennessy and Major Gen. W.P.T. Hill Awards ceremony in May.

This year's two Hennessy travelers -- David Stockman, senior vice president of operations for Lawry's Restaurant Inc., and Jeff Berlind of BP Partners in Pound Ridge, N.Y. -- are visiting six to eight military bases around the world to evaluate and determine this year's potential award winners.

In his latest commentary, the National Restaurant Association's chief economist Bruce Grindy breaks down the January jobs report.  The economy added nearly a quarter-million jobs in January, and the jobless rate fell to a three-year low.  In addition, the restaurant industry continued its steady growth, adding more than 300,000 jobs in the last 12 months. 

The national economy got off to a solid start in 2012, according to the latest employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The economy added 243,000 jobs in January, the third consecutive monthly acceleration and strongest gain since April 2011. 

The private sector continued to drive growth with an increase of 257,000 jobs in January, the 23rd consecutive gain and strongest performance in nine months.  In contrast, the public sector remained a modest drag on the economy, shedding 14,000 jobs in January.

Ted Fowler, president and CEO of Golden Corral, the Raleigh, N.C.-based grill-buffet chain, has been appointed 2012 chair of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's ProStart Initiative Cabinet.

Fowler, who assumed the chairmanship from Carlton Curtis, vice president of industry relations for the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co., will be tasked with raising funds to benefit ProStart, the NRAEF's two-year program that teaches high-school students the management skills and culinary techniques needed to forward their careers in the restaurant industry. As the 2011 chair, Curtis achieved great success raising unprecedented funds to grow and enhance the program at the national and state level, the foundation said.

Fowler, a member of the NRAEF's Board of Trustees since 2002, said he is excited to raise the funds needed to grow ProStart's reach and accessibility across the country.

Thousands of restaurants around the country are participating in Kids LiveWell, a program developed and initiated by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with Healthy Dining.

The program, which debuted last July, helps parents and children make more healthful choices when dining out. Participating restaurants offer kids' meals that focus on increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy items, while limiting the amount of unhealthful fats, sugars and sodium they eat.

As part of an occasional series on Kids LiveWell participants, here's a look at Cracker Barrel's Kids LiveWell offerings.

Cracker Barrel: Homemade and healthful

Though primarily known for its hearty home-style meals served up in generous-sized portions, the Lebanon, Tenn.-based Cracker Barrel chain wants its customers to know that offering hearty and healthy meals -- especially when it comes to feeding kids -- is not mutually exclusive.

Citing its Kid's "Made from Scratch Chicken n' Dumplins" meal as an example, the chain said the healthful entrée weighs in at just 270 calories, and its "Grilled Chicken Tenders", served with a side of corn, tips the scales at 310 calories. The items were just two the chain brought to the table when it signed up to participate in Kids Live Well last year.

"The Chicken n' Dumplins were the biggest hit with kids, and parents were pretty surprised to find out such a hearty meal could be healthy, too," said Vince Tyler, Cracker Barrel's product development manager.

Today, even more healthful options, including a vegetable plate featuring 72 potential variations, are available. Additionally, virtually all of Cracker Barrel's kids' meals are available with healthful sides.

Chris Ciavarra, the chain's senior vice president of marketing, says that with the chain' focus on providing healthful options for its young customers, "The Kids LiveWell program is a great fit with the Cracker Barrel brand. Healthy options for kids have been a part of our menu for years and we will continue to develop choices that not only appeal to children, but also meet the guidelines of this healthful initiative."

Despite sluggish recovery by the nation’s economy, the restaurant industry is projected to expand in 2012, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast released today.

Total restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record high of $632 billion in 2012 – a 3.5 percent increase over 2011. In addition, overall restaurant industry employment will reach 12.9 million in 2012, representing 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.

“As our nation slowly recovers from the economic downturn, restaurants continue to be a vital part of American lifestyles and our nation’s economy,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.