Celebrating its 61st year, the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Foodservice
& Hospitality EXPO, is August 2-4,
2014 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in Hall I. The EXPO is a
one-stop shop for all your restaurant needs—whether they are products, services
or education and is a must for restaurant owners, managers, buyers, hotel food
and beverage directors and chefs. It’s the only place in Louisiana to gain
valuable industry knowledge and shop hundreds of companies under one roof.
Join 2014 National
Restaurant Association Chair Ken Conrad, owner of Libby Hill Restaurants in
North Carolina, as he addresses the crowd and cuts the ribbon during the
Opening Ceremony, Saturday, August 1 at 10:45 a.m. in the Hall I foyer.
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| 2014 NRA Chair Ken Conrad |
“I’ve visited New Orleans five times or so and I am looking
forward to my trip for the EXPO,” Conrad said. “I own seafood restaurants and
coming to a great seafood city like New Orleans is a wonderful treat for me and
my family.”
As the EXPO opens (at 11 a.m.), crowds pour onto the show
floor just in time for the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) opening
celebration. Attendees will hear the sirens, which signals the start of a
mini-parade complete with a marching band, Mardi Gras Indians and mini-floats,
which traverses one end of the show ending at the GASCO stages in Hall J. Nineteen
chefs, including New Orleans’ own Aaron Burgau of Patois Restaurant, will
compete for the title of King or Queen of American Seafood. GASCO is produced
by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and sponsored by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Having GASCO as part of the LRA’s EXPO demonstrates our
industry’s commitment to promoting not only Gulf seafood, but all domestic
seafood as a center of the plate staple in Louisiana and beyond,” said Stan
Harris, LRA President/CEO.
Be sure to make some time to expand your knowledge of
leading restaurant industry trends, issues and best practices in the third
annual IDEA ZONE. On Saturday,
express sessions cover topics such as: grow your restaurant brand/concept; top
tax benefits that exist for restaurant owners; promoting profits and preventing
loss behind the bar; and what can I really charge my employees; and more. On Sunday,
you’ll have the chance to learn about: updates on the Affordable Care Act; how
to price a menu for off-site catering; food allergies: myths busted; and more. Monday’s
IDEA ZONE features the LRA Self Insurer’s Fund annual safety seminar and
beef flavor fundamentals.
During the EXPO, the 2nd
Annual Farm to Table International Symposium takes place and LRA members
receive discounted admission to attend numerous sessions examining “The
Process.” The symposium, produced in partnership
with the SoFAB Institute and the LSU AgCenter, brings together the leading
practitioners in the growing farm-to-table movement to explore the cultivation,
distribution and consumption of food and drink sourced locally while presenting
the opportunity to connect consumers, chefs and producers.
To maximize your EXPO experience, be sure to take a few
minutes to map out your journey by creating your Personalized
Show Guide. This feature allows you advance review of all the exhibiting companies,
some longtime favorites and more than 50 new companies, you’ve never seen at
the show before.
We can’t wait to see you in New Orleans this weekend! If you
haven’t registered, click
here.
Thank you to this year’s
Platinum Sponsors!
Heartland Payment
Systems, Louisiana Cookin’, Capital
One, Republic National Distributing Company, UnitedHealthcare, Glazer’s of
Louisiana, Louisiana Restaurant Association Self Insurer’s Fund and the LRA
Education Foundation.
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