Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity Awards call for nominations

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is now accepting nominations for the two awards and will name Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity winners at a gala during the NRA’s Public Affairs Conference next April. Applications and nomination forms will be accepted online until November 18.

Restaurant Neighbor award, co-founded and sponsored by American Express, honors winners in four categories: small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and Cornerstone Humanitarian. The award recognizes the outstanding charitable service performed by restaurant members. Each winner receives $5,000 to support their charitable giving efforts. Participating state restaurant associations select winners in their respective states who then go on to compete for the national award.
Louisiana has had two winners in recent years of the Restaurant Neighbor award--Tommy Cvitanovich of Drago's Seafood Restaurant in 2006 and Greg Reggio of Taste Buds in 2012. Cvitanovich was recognized for his efforts following Hurricane Katrina to feed relief workers in the New Orleans area. Reggio was recognized for his relief work following the tornados in Tuscaloosa and Joplin.

The Faces of Diversity award, co-founded and sponsored by PepsiCo Foodservice, recognizes three individuals as national winners. The award celebrates members of the restaurant industry who, through hard work and perseverance, have achieved the American Dream. Each winner will have a $2,500 NRAEF student scholarship presented in his or her name. Read more.

New Orleans Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase was honored with the Faces of Diversity award in 2012. Her famed restaurant Dooky Chase is known the world over and was considered "neutral ground" during the Civil Rights Movement.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association encourages members to apply.

Restaurateurs are a philanthropic bunch

Just about every charitable event we attend has chefs and restaurateurs participating, either by performing cooking demonstrations or serving their unique cuisine. Restaurateurs nationwide contribute an estimated $3 billion every year to causes that impact their community, according to a study by the National Restaurant Association.

To recognize those restaurateurs who have made extraordinary contributions to their community through philanthropy, the NRA is seeking submissions for its annual Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity award programs. Earlier this year, two of Louisiana’s own—Greg Reggio and Leah Chase were honored in Washington, DC during the Public Affairs Conference—for their numerous efforts to uplift those in need.

 

The Restaurant Neighbor Award was created 15 years ago to help honor restaurants in the field of outstanding community service and involvement. Ninety percent of restaurants are actively involved in community activities and this award highlights the positive contributions restaurants make in their local neighborhoods each and every day.

Four national winners receive $5,000 each to support their community efforts as well as an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The NRA and American Express are pleased to honor restaurant companies that have gone above and beyond in giving back to their communities through the Restaurant Neighbor Award program. Each year, four national winners receive $5,000 each to continue their charitable works.

The Faces of Diversity Award recognizes the diversity of the restaurant industry and the role it plays in helping individuals achieve professional and personal success. Three individuals, who through hard work and determination have realized their dreams, are selected each year as national winners and a $2,500 ProStart student scholarship is presented in their name.

The deadline to submit your Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity nominees is  January 7, 2013.

Talkin' 'bout my generation

Meet the “millennials.” They care about where that chicken laid those eggs.

Millennial diners think beyond taste when spending their
restaurant dollars.

There is a new crop of customers in town and they are a demanding lot. These diners are socially conscious, environmentally aware and they appreciate a good meal—made from locally-sourced ingredients, of course. They may not be rich, but they dine out more than any other age group. Meet the “Millennials.”

Born roughly between 1978 and 1994, a member of the Millennial generation ranges between a high school senior about to head off to college to young professional, out of school with a career, just starting a family. Their parents and grandparents are Baby Boomers, 78 million of which will begin to retire in droves in the next 15 to 20 years.

While Millennials may not have a large amount of disposable income, they eat out far more than generations before them. They were raised on Chicken McNuggets and Subway sandwiches; restaurant meals after church on Sundays. Fifty years ago, for the average American, restaurants were for special occasions, maybe two or three times a year. Now, according to the National Restaurant Association, people under the age of 25 spend nearly 48 percent of their food budgets eating away from home.

Millennials care about more than just how the food tastes. They are seeking to patronize businesses that care about the world at large. Restaurants can attract these diners by honing in on three specific brand metrics*:

• Social responsibility-Is the restaurant's practices good for the environment? For its employees?
• Food quality-After taste is considered, a millennial diner will ask, Where is the food coming from? Is it local/sustainable? Is it organic? Were the animals treated in a humane way when they are alive? They gravitate to terms like grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs.
• Community involvement-Does the restaurant give back to the community? Are they involved with local charities?

All three of these things should be considered when trying to attract the Millennial diner. They are the future of restaurants—both its employees and its customers.

Meet the Millennials

There are many, many restaurants across the state incorporating these three principles already. We can’t go to a restaurant (from a neighborhood place to a chain) that isn’t touting local ingredients. This is something Louisiana has been doing well before it was trendy.

As for community service, restaurateurs are some of the most philanthropic people out there, always giving back to their communities. (Read stories on Leah Chase and Greg Reggio who were both recently honored nationally.) If these practices are publicized to Millennials, they will keep coming back.

*Brand metrics sourced from Chicago-based industry consultant Technomic.

Louisiana restaurateurs honored in DC for community service

Restaurateurs are widely-recognized as charitable individuals and Greg Reggio, of the Taste Buds Restaurant Group, is an example of one that has taken his philanthropy to the masses. Specifically, he and his business partners in Semolina and Zea Rotisserie & Grill restaurants, Gary Darling and Hans Limburg created “Three Chefs, One Mission,” an effort they coordinated to bring hope and reprieve to those affected by natural disasters.

Reggio and his “buds” as he likes to he calls Darling and Limburg, we’re honored by the National Restaurant Association April 17 with the Restaurant Neighbor Award. The award recognizes restaurateurs who have gone above and beyond in giving back to their communities.

“Restaurateurs are some of the most philanthropic business owners on earth.” said Stan Harris, Louisiana Restaurant Association President & CEO. “Greg and his partners, Hans and Gary, are an excellent example of how ‘paying it forward’ can change lives, one plate of food at a time. We are thrilled that Taste Buds Management has been recognized for its community service efforts.”

In 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas and inundated Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish coastal town of Lafitte with water. Reggio and fellow members of the Louisiana Restaurant Association Greater New Orleans Chapter served hot meals to more than 1,200 residents at the Lafitte Town Hall only three days after the community was re-opened to its citizens.

Since then, he’s found a calling, specifically named, “Three Chefs, One Mission,” along with Darling and Limburg.

“Although Katrina was six or so years prior, it was still very much in our minds and memories,” said Reggio. “We said, ‘We know what they are going through and we are going to bring them some Louisiana love’.”