CHICAGO—The 2009 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show will deliver a year’s worth of business solutions in one place, including professional development opportunities focused on helping restaurant and foodservice operators increase profitability and productivity. Held May 16 to 19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, NRA Show 2009 will feature more than 65 free education sessions led by recognized industry experts on a range of topics including menu trends, environmental sustainability, workforce development and profit building. “In today’s challenging economic climate, businesses are looking to maximize value for expenses and return on investment for everything they do,” said Lorna Donatone, Convention...

BOYLSTON, MA.—Owl Power Co., developer and manufacturer of clean energy cogeneration systems, has announced Vegawatt, an innovative new cogeneration system for restaurants and food service facilities. Vegawatt uses waste vegetable oil from any food service operation as a fuel to generate on-site electricity and hot water, saving the restaurant thousands of dollars as well as providing a clean, renewable source of energy. Vegawatt is installed and has been running since early December at Finz Seafood & Grill. “As a restaurant operator I am constantly looking for more efficient methods, and especially for cost-saving measures,” said George Carey, owner of Finz...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Moyer Diebel, boasting more than half a century of experience in the field, has recently added its newest under counter, the 351HT, to its lineup of quality dish machines. Replacing the current 301HT, this cost-efficient under counter has been updated with many new features and will make its world premiere at the NAFEM 2009 show. Made for small kitchens and bars, the 351HT is an Energy Star qualified machine that significantly reduces water and energy consumption while still delivering sparkling clean wares using a low 0.80 gallons per rack. New features on the 351HT include counter-balanced, double skin door,...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Mark Whalen has been named president of Electrolux Food Service Americas Division. Whalen is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience. He has previously led the efforts of Jackson, Vulcan-Hart and Victory and serves on the board of directors for the North American Association of Foodservice Equipment Manufacturers. In his new role, Whalen will be responsible for all aspects of the foodservice equipment business in the region. “I am delighted to join the Electrolux Team at this critical stage of the development of the markets in the Americas,” Whalen says. “The brand is a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Research released by the National Restaurant Association shows that Americans are looking for healthier options and “greener” restaurants when they dine out, in addition to an increased interest in value and convenience. Surveys of restaurant operators, customers and chefs indicate that restaurateurs will sharpen their appeal in 2009 in these areas and that restaurants’ responsiveness to customers’ preferences will drive these industry trends, according to the Association’s 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast. “The restaurant industry is both innovative and resilient, and will remain the cornerstone of the nation’s economy and communities, employing and serving millions of Americans in 2009,” said...

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Traulsen’s line of refrigerators and freezers—the G-Series—is expanding its product line to include hot-food holding cabinets. The affordable price and proven reliability mean higher value and lower total cost of ownership. The new Energy Star qualified G-Series hot-food holding cabinets, which include one- and two-section reach-in and pass-thru configurations, save energy and allow for a smaller environmental footprint. “Particularly in tougher economic times, Traulsen’s G-Series provides excellent value for foodservice operators and growing chains striving to drive down costs while maintaining quality, and the hot-food holding cabinet is no exception in delivering on this expectation,” said John Davis,...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Water Energy Laundry Consulting as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. Water Energy Laundry Consulting offers the following turn-key laundry solutions for the hospitality industry: full-service consulting, advanced laundry design, construction, start-up, optimization and training. Laundry Consulting is the exclusive provider of Green Laundry Systems from Water Energy. These systems are built around advanced ozone technologies and deliver significant water and energy savings to a laundry. The newly updated Water Energy Laundry Consulting website includes calculators that enable one to calculate the carbon footprint of a laundry...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new National Restaurant Association survey of more than 1,600 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—reveals that nutrition and philosophy-driven food choices will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2009. Local produce, bite-size desserts, organics, healthful kids’ meals, and new cuts of meat top the list of nearly 210 culinary items in the third annual “What’s Hot” chef survey. Rounding out the top 10 trends are kids’ vegetable/fruit side dishes, super fruits (including acai and mangosteen), small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum, artisan liquor and sustainable seafood. “Creativity has always been a hallmark of professional chefs,” said...

BOSTON—The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) announced that it has updated its Certification System to the points-based Green Restaurant 4.0. For the past two decades, the GRA has been certifying restaurants across North America with its environmental standards. Every few years, the GRA upgrades its certification standards to help the restaurant industry move toward environmental sustainability. Green Restaurant 4.0 will provide a comprehensive and user-friendly method of rewarding restaurants with points in each of the Environmental Guideline categories: Energy, Water, Waste, Disposables, Chemical and Pollution Reduction, Sustainable Food, and Sustainable Building Materials. Under the Green Restaurant 4.0 standards, restaurants will have...

MONTVALE, N.J.—BioHitech’s high-volume organic waste decomposition technology, launched earlier this year, received the award for Innovation in Green Technology at this year’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show. The company’s GOHBio 1001 Series was recognized. The decomposition unit, which is energy efficient and made of stainless steel, breaks down food waste into a liquid within 24 hours; enabling it to be safely disposed of down the drain. Resultantly, greenhouse gases are reduced, landfill space and fuel are preserved, and ultimately, dependency on fossil fuels and other foreign oil sources declines. Additionally, overall costs associated with work flow efficiencies, janitorial supplies and...