CHICAGO (September 15, 1999) - In an effort to bolster beef’s presence on high-volume, chain restaurant menus nationwide, the beef industry hosted twenty-eight top research and development chefs from leading national and regional chain restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America/Greystone in St. Helena, California this summer. The group of high-level chefs are responsible for deciding what goes on the menus of some of the fastest growing chain restaurants in the nation.
The beef checkoff-funded continuing education seminar, entitled “Beef. It’s What’s on the Menu,” consisted of two back-to-back classes, with hands-on cooking instruction, designed to educate chefs on new ways to use beef on their menus as well as demonstrate the benefits of using new, value-added beef products from the chuck and round. The event also provided tremendous opportunities to bolster relationships with key menu decision-makers within the $336 billion foodservice industry.
“With over 49 percent of the American food dollar being spent away-from-home, the foodservice industry is a key component of our total marketing effort,” said Jennifer Houston, a cattle producer Sweetwater, Tenn. and chairman of the beef industry's Foodservice Committee.
“National chain restaurants represent tremendous sales volume opportunities for the beef industry and when these leading chefs see first hand how easy and versatile the new beef products are to prepare, the key menu decision-makers are more likely to offer additional beef menu items to their customers,” she said.
A sampling of attendees included chefs from Brinker International (representing Chili’s and Eatzi’s restaurants), Bennigan’s, Bahama Breeze, Arby’s, Jack in the Box, LongHorn Steakhouse, Dave and Busters, Coco’s/Carrow’s, Baker’s Square and Ground Round.
-- NCBA --