Looks as if Orlando is starting a full-court press to become the next host of the National Restaurant Association’s annual convention.
The Florida city ran an ad Friday in SmartBriefs, the NRA’s daily e-mail newsletter for restaurateurs. “Meet in Orland, Save $20 million?” read the headline of the pitch.
It explained that the Society of the Plastic Industry will save that much by shifting its big trade show to Orlando in 2012 and 2015. The savings, along with the service provided by the city’s convention center, “led SPI to leave Chicago after nearly 40 years and meet in Orlando,” the ad explained.
The NRA has held its trade show in Chicago for about 60 years. It’s committed to holding the mega-event in the Windy City’s McCormick Place through 2011. The association has worked with the convention center and the unions that serve it to bring down the cost of exhibiting, a complaint of some participants.
Before the NRA re-upped with Chicago in 2006, Orlando and Las Vegas had reportedly tried to land the convention.
The NRA show is one of the nation’s largest trade expositions, with attendance typically topping 75,000, not counting exhibitor personnel. Last year’s turn-out was dampened by the economy to about 38,000, with another 15,500 supplier company representatives also participating.
Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sunday, September 27, 2009
A new concept headed for Darden's menu?
Is Darden considering an addition to its restaurant empire?
The parent of Red Lobster is moving this Wednesday into new headquarters elsewhere in Orlando, its home turf for the last 40 years, according to an Orlando Sentinel story. Included in the facility, says the article, are six test kitchens and the space to house a seventh. Each will serve a different concept, the piece notes.
In addition to Red Lobster, Darden’s holdings include Olive Garden, Capital Grille, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Their R&D facilities will be firing up their grills in a few days. But why reserve space for a seventh? Is Darden shopping for an acquisition, or perhaps starting the in-house development of something new?
Setting aside space for expansion is hardly proof an addition is a “go.” It’s more like a young family buying a house with a spare bedroom, just in case.
But the article also notes that Darden has to add 400 positions at the new building by 2014 to earn the full tax benefits of the relocation. That’s on a base of 1,260 jobs currently housed there.
That would be a tremendous amount of organic growth, even if Seasons 52, the company’s youngest concept, really zooms cross-country.
And there’s no shortage of acquisition candidates in this buyer’s market. The last expansion of Darden’s portfolio was the purchase of Rare Hospitality, the parent of Capital Grille and LongHorn.
Speculating on possible additions is tough with Darden. Although the company is very conservative, its new concepts have been downright bold. Few would have bet it’d try a healthful concept featuring fresh, seasonal produce, as it did—undoubtedly with great success—with Seasons 52. Ditto with Bahama Breeze, still one of the industry’s few chained Caribbean concepts.
But who can resist making their wild-haired predictions. If Darden were looking to add concepts, I wonder if a burger concept, an everyday grill sort of place, would be one of types on the list. Ditto for an upscale Mexican place, with bold flavors and simple, even healthful preparations.
So, if you live in Orlando, please give a shout if catch the aroma of chipotles wafting out of the new headquarters.
The parent of Red Lobster is moving this Wednesday into new headquarters elsewhere in Orlando, its home turf for the last 40 years, according to an Orlando Sentinel story. Included in the facility, says the article, are six test kitchens and the space to house a seventh. Each will serve a different concept, the piece notes.
In addition to Red Lobster, Darden’s holdings include Olive Garden, Capital Grille, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Their R&D facilities will be firing up their grills in a few days. But why reserve space for a seventh? Is Darden shopping for an acquisition, or perhaps starting the in-house development of something new?
Setting aside space for expansion is hardly proof an addition is a “go.” It’s more like a young family buying a house with a spare bedroom, just in case.
But the article also notes that Darden has to add 400 positions at the new building by 2014 to earn the full tax benefits of the relocation. That’s on a base of 1,260 jobs currently housed there.
That would be a tremendous amount of organic growth, even if Seasons 52, the company’s youngest concept, really zooms cross-country.
And there’s no shortage of acquisition candidates in this buyer’s market. The last expansion of Darden’s portfolio was the purchase of Rare Hospitality, the parent of Capital Grille and LongHorn.
Speculating on possible additions is tough with Darden. Although the company is very conservative, its new concepts have been downright bold. Few would have bet it’d try a healthful concept featuring fresh, seasonal produce, as it did—undoubtedly with great success—with Seasons 52. Ditto with Bahama Breeze, still one of the industry’s few chained Caribbean concepts.
But who can resist making their wild-haired predictions. If Darden were looking to add concepts, I wonder if a burger concept, an everyday grill sort of place, would be one of types on the list. Ditto for an upscale Mexican place, with bold flavors and simple, even healthful preparations.
So, if you live in Orlando, please give a shout if catch the aroma of chipotles wafting out of the new headquarters.
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