NRAEF Announces 2009 SPIRIT Award Winners

(Chicago) The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), along with Nation's Restaurant News (NRN), today announced the winners of the 2009 SPIRIT Awards. The awards honor those restaurant and foodservice companies that have a proven dedication to recruiting, retaining and recognizing a qualified and satisfied workforce. The program, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, recognizes organizations in four categories: Fine Dining, Full Service, On Site and Quick Service.

"At the NRAEF, we work to ensure the most qualified and passionate people enter and stay in the restaurant and foodservice industry, and the SPIRIT Awards provides an outstanding opportunity to acknowledge several companies that are excelling at employee recognition and retention," said Linda Bacin, chair, NRAEF Board of Trustees. "We are honored to once again partner with Nation's Restaurant News and The Coca-Cola Company in this valuable awards program that exemplifies the NRAEF's commitment to enhancing our industry's service to the public through education, community engagement and promotion of career opportunities."

"To find success in today's challenging business environment, you need the right strategy and you need to execute, but what you need as much-if not more-is the right people." said Tom Larranaga, publisher, NRN. "Along with the NRAEF and The Coca-Cola Company, we are proud to honor these winning foodservice operators, who demonstrate how recruitment, training and motivation are inextricably linked to building a high-performance workforce."

These outstanding SPIRIT Award winners join past award recipients as the premier companies dedicated to advanced employee recognition and retention programs in the restaurant and foodservice industry. This year's winners have demonstrated their commitment to enhancing employee satisfaction, how they achieve this and how it results in greater guest satisfaction. The winners were chosen based on the innovation and creativity of their program, the professionalism of their program presentation, the in-unit communication they demonstrated and the measured effectiveness of the program.

During the awards presentation at the MUFSO 2009 event, winners will participate in a panel session and receive a plaque to display in their operation. The winners' exemplary practices will also be featured in The Spirit of the Industry 2009, a booklet highlighting the Awards program and the 2009 winners. Past SPIRIT Awards winners include: Bambara, Boston College, Bruegger's Enterprises Inc., Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Carino's Italian, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Famous Dave's of America, Golden Corral Corp., Jack in the Box, Inc., Morton's The Steakhouse, Ohio State University Medical Center, Panzano, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Royal Caribbean International, Sodexo and Union Square Hospitality Group.

Visit www.nraef.org/events/spirit/ to learn about the SPIRIT Awards and what previous SPIRIT Award winners have done to improve employee recruitment, retention and morale in the NRAEF's The Spirit of the Industry booklets.

###

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) enhances the restaurant industry's service to the public through education, community engagement, and promotion of career opportunities. The restaurant and foodservice industry is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 13 million employees, making it one of the nation's largest employers. The NRAEF is focused on working with the Association to lead America's restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation by providing the valuable tools and resources needed to educate our current and incoming employees. For more information on the NRAEF, visit www.nraef.org.

News Release

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Announces 2009 SPIRIT Award Winners