WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association released its 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report, which measures the restaurant industry’s continued recovery and examines the status of current and emerging trends across key categories including technology and off-premises business, operations, workforce, food and menus, and more. Key findings illustrating how the restaurant industry continues its recovery include: The foodservice industry is forecast to reach $898 billion in sales in 2022. The foodservice industry workforce is projected to grow by 400,000 jobs, for total industry employment of 14.9 million by the end of 2022. More than half of restaurant operators said it would be...

Green Lodging News has reported on illegal fishing and overfishing in the past—in fact as recently as this past October. It is important that every buyer of fish be aware of the problems as well as the certifications that ensure properly caught fish. Just yesterday, Oceana released a new report showing that the illegal seafood trade, fueled in part by U.S. demand, is hurting local fishing communities around the world. Oceana says this demonstrates the need to expand traceability and transparency requirements for all seafood imports. The United States is the world’s largest seafood importing country, yet around 60 percent of...

DENHAM, U.K.—The ubiquitous bar counter can be found worldwide and while each one differs by design, locale, menu, and culture, its purpose is universal—the easy flow of drink and conversation. And it was brought to a shocking halt in 2020. Pandemic images of unfilled taps, empty glasses, and barstools collecting dust will forever be etched in the minds of those who work in hospitality, but so will the feeling of elation when they finally reopened for business. “For bars and restaurants around the world, the return of diners and drinkers in 2021 was a huge sigh of relief,” says Alex...

NASHVILLE—The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville’s premier luxury hotel, announced the opening of Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges, a new restaurant and bar by internationally celebrated chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Drusie & Darr marks Jean-Georges’ first restaurant in the South and comes on the cusp of a property-wide revitalization after The Hermitage Hotel opened its doors nearly 112 years ago. Many times, throughout its history, The Hermitage Hotel has set the tone for dining in Nashville. Drusie & Darr now brings a fresh, modern dining destination to the city and a rejuvenated space from award-winning interior designer Thomas Juul-Hansen. “It’s an honor to be...

CHICAGO—Restaurant customers can expect to see health taking center stage on restaurant menus in 2022. The National Restaurant Association recently released its annual What’s Hot Culinary Forecast, which offers a detailed look at the topics, trends, and products expected to drive restaurant menus in the coming year across a variety of categories including daypart occasions, menu categories, beverages, flavors, global inspirations, packaging/off-premises trends and industry macro-trends. After demand for comfort food surged during the height of the pandemic, consumers are refocusing on better-for-you options, with foods that are believed to have immunity-boosting qualities and plant-based sandwiches making up three of...

TUTTLINGEN, GERMANY—VITO AG, the German market leader for filtration systems, announced the launch of a new product to fulfill the rising need for high-quality and easy to use filtration systems for deep fryers: The VITO VL oil filter system. The frying oil filter is simply placed inside your deep fryer and filters your frying oil at service temperature. It provides oil savings of up to 50 percent, an increased oil quality and reduced workload around the fryers while being one of the safest options. Being the most powerful in-tank filtration system VITO ever built, the VL filters over 26 gallons of...

I have written about canned gel chafing fuel in the past on Green Lodging News. Is your hotel still using it, sending partially used containers to the landfill? Putting your guests and staff at risk? One industry expert told me this past week that upwards of 90 percent of the hospitality industry still uses canned gel chafing fuel to keep food hot and ready for serving groups of people. What prompted me to write about food heating again this past week was the discovery that at least two companies have developed better ways—more flexible ways—to keep food hot and, for...

NATIONAL REPORT—Canned gel chafing fuel remains the primary heating choice for upwards of 90 percent of the hospitality industry for chafing dishes and other similar food and beverage containers according to industry experts. That is bad news for the environment and hotel owners, however, when one considers canned fuel’s inefficiency, its cost, its many hazards while in use, and its carbon and other negative impacts throughout the supply chain. In fact, says David Moreland, Chief Bottle Washer for Smart Buffet Ware, when you burn canned fuel, 78 percent of the fuel is heating the atmosphere—not what is intended to...

MILL VALLEY, Calif.—Auberge Resorts Collection, a portfolio of award-winning hotels, resorts and residences, recently announced plans for a new coastal escape in South Carolina with The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection. Located along the Charleston coastline in the waterfront community of Kiawah River, the property offers 2,000 acres of picturesque land with 20 miles of riverfront, scenic nature trails and abundant marshlands set amongst native flora and fauna. With the groundbreaking planned for January 2022, The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection, will be a charming, family-friendly getaway that invites guests to take in the simple pleasures of an authentic sea island lifestyle upon its opening...

FALLS CHURCH, VA.—A group of prominent paper mills and end markets across North America signed a declaration of acceptance and a commitment to increasing recycling of paper cups, including Essity, GP PRO, Graphic Packaging International, Great Lakes Tissue Co., ND Paper, Pratt Industries, Sustana Fiber and WestRock. Organizations representing 75 percent of mixed paper demand (by quantity consumed) in the United States and Canada are accepting paper cups. Seven companies with 25 paper mills actively accept residential mixed paper bales (ISRI grade 54) with paper cups included, while three companies with five facilities currently accept paper cups when included with...