Putting our best foot forward for Super Bowl in New Orleans

By Wendy Waren, VP of Communications, Louisiana Restaurant Association

We are just a few weeks out from hosting our 10^th NFL Super Bowl in New Orleans in between two weeks of Mardi Gras—the largest free show in the world! The best that New Orleans has to offer—cuisine, music, food and fun—will be on the world stage, which is priceless exposure for our industry. 

The economic impact of 2013 Mardi Gras and Super Bowl XLVII is projected to near $1 billion. In short order, the City of New Orleans will host more than 1 million visitors giving us the opportunity to overwhelm them with the southern hospitality we are known for the world over.

Another benefit to hosting the Super Bowl is the $1 billion in capital improvements that have been made which include necessary repairs to streets, sidewalks and lighting, among others. The Disney Institute will hold Customer Service Training Sessions for front line staff and managers and supervisors on Jan. 22 and 23 in preparation of the onslaught of Super Bowl visitors.

There are more credentialed media coming to New Orleans for the Super Bowl than any other in history—nearly 6,000. The media will be dining in our restaurants, exploring our famous streets and attractions while here to cover the big game, but also looking for those stories that make New Orleans unique and authentic.

 

Coverage is already kicking up that some restaurants have signs posted in their windows with a photo of the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell with the text, Do Not Serve This Man. The Commissioner is extremely influential in the selection of future host cities for the Super Bowl. Regardless of how you feel, the city’s reputation is so much more important. If you have one of these signs in the window, please consider removing it. There’s always next season to settle our differences and we’ll do it on the field.

This morning I was interviewed by WWL Radio's Tommy Tucker about the negativity surrounding the Saints' assessed penalties by the NFL and Commissioner Goodell's role in them and the possibility of the Atlanta Falcons playing in the big game.

We need to be the people we were when the Saints won the Super Bowl, when Drew Brees held his son in the air as the confetti fell and many of us cried tears of joy. It's important to show our pride, our resilency and our joie de vive for the whole world to see.

 

This is an opportunity of a lifetime for our industry to throw the biggest party paired with the one of the largest sporting events in the world! It’s important to our growth, future and our bottom lines that we put our best foot forward.

Happy New Year

From LRA President/CEO Stan Harris

Today marks the beginning of my third year as the President/CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA). It’s remarkable how quickly the time goes and how much is and needs to be accomplished each and every day on behalf of our economically important industry. We’ve made some necessary steps to streamline the operations of both the LRA and the Self Insurer’s Fund for Workers’ Compensation (LRA SIF) in an effort to remain competitive and a viable resource for the restaurant industry.

Let the LRA SIF quote your workers' comp
coverage today! With competitive rates, free safety services
and local claims handling, give us the
chance to earn your business.

As 2013 progresses, restaurant owners are no doubt sighing in relief that the fiscal cliff has, thankfully, been avoided. When I was running restaurants, this time of year was spent making sure I had my insurance coverage in order given many policies renew at the first of the year. For the LRA SIF, this is the busiest time of the year given the number of annual policies that renew Jan. 1. If you are in need of a quote for your workers’ comp coverage, please give us a call today.

Visit the National Restaurant Association's Healthcare
Knowledge Center at healthcare.restaurant.org for what you
need to know as an operator.

There are so many things on the horizon for the restaurant industry this year. Advocacy on your behalf at the federal and state level is more important than ever with the myriad of issues still needing resolution or negotiation. Businesses will be forced to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which still leaves many questions unanswered. The LRA is already working on issues that will impact our industry as the Louisiana Legislative Fiscal Session (April 8-June 6) will almost exclusively focus on attempting to solve the state’s financial deficit. Restoring tourism funding will again be a major issue for our industry.

The LRA represents Louisiana's restaurant industry on the
Super Bowl XLVII Hospitality Subcommittee!

But on the bright side, the Louisiana restaurant industry is projected to reach $6.8 billion in annual sales this year, up slightly from 2012. With Super Bowl XLVII and its accompanying hoopla estimated to deliver a $431 million economic impact, sandwiched in between two weeks of Mardi Gras, that will be a nice boost for the Greater New Orleans hospitality industry. These events will place New Orleans on the international stage and further our efforts to attract more visitors to Louisiana.

Here’s to a prosperous, healthy and balanced year to all of us!