January 09, 2003

National Restaurant Association Membership Soars to 300,000 Restaurants

(Washington, DC) The National Restaurant Association today announced that its membership expanded to 300,000 member locations in the calendar year 2002, an increase of 27 percent from 2000, according to a year-end report by Association President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Anderson. "In the year 2002 alone, 46,000 restaurants joined the ranks of the National Restaurant Association," he said. Association membership is at its highest in the organization's 83-year history. "Restaurants are the cornerstone of the nation's economy, career opportunities and community involvement, and our members are the foundation of the restaurant-and-foodservice industry," said Anderson. "As membership increases, we grow ever stronger in our mission to represent, educate and promote the industry to public officials, the general public and industry professionals alike. Together, we carry great power and influence to better the industry and the environment in which it operates." In 2002, the Association created its new Business Development Division to focus on member recruitment and effectively convey the many benefits enjoyed by joining the National Restaurant Association. Restaurant members include all segments of the restaurant-and-foodservice industry, both independent and multi-unit. In addition to aggressive representation on legislative, regulatory and public relations issues, members receive access to myriad benefits including the opportunity to participate in the Executive Study Groups to exchange information with fellow industry professionals; publications that provide important industry data; and a toll-free hotline staffed by information specialists who answer restaurant-industry questions. Restaurant members also receive timely and insightful industry news via the Washington Weekly newsletter and the members-only section of the Association's Web site, www.restaurant.org. Other member benefits include free admission to the largest hospitality trade show in the country—the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show held in Chicago each May—and member discounts on educational materials, services and industry products by the Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), and partner organizations. Source: National Restaurant Association