News

American Express teams with NRA for market, health intel

September 9, 2010

The National Restaurant Association has announced the launch of an online resource from its partner Healthy Dining, "Restaurant Nutrition: News & Insights for the Foodservice Industry." The new resource will feature content that discusses the most pressing nutrition issues affecting the industry today. Topics will include complying with new menu labeling regulations, reducing sodium, calories and fat, improving the healthfulness of kids' meals, offering a gluten free menu, and capitalizing on the growing wellness trends. Restaurant Nutrition is located on the Operators’ section of www.HealthyDiningFinder.com and at www.RestaurantNutrition.com.

The first interview is with NRA president and CEO, Dawn Sweeney about the Association's Food & Healthy Living Imperative. Sweeney shares her perspectives on menu labeling, the industry’s increasing use of produce, and discusses a realistic and practical role for the industry in contributing to public health.

"Restaurant Nutrition will help provide the news and insights on issues that are at the forefront of our industry today," Sweeney said. "It is important for us to share why healthy living is one of the core areas of interest for the National Restaurant Association, and what great progress we are making as an industry."

American Express is the founding sponsor of the new resource. The credit card company is also partnering with the NRA to further strengthen its goal of helping members boost profitability via reduced rates for its market research product, American Express' "Business Insights." The research reports allow restaurants to access information on local customer behavior, traffic and spending patterns, and more. The member-exclusive rates are part of a new multi-year partnership between the Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation  and American Express.

Under the new partnership, National Restaurant Association members may access American Express Business Insights products at special association rates. Operators can purchase reports that evaluate their business performance, look at aggregate customer trends, and benchmarks performance with local peers, a broader specific geographic area, or the industry as a whole. Special member-exclusive discounted pricing up to 50 percent off is available through December 2010.

The three Business Insights reports (local IQ, industry IQ and competitive IQ) provide quarterly information on:

• spending behavior and trends of different customer segments
• customers' lifestyle and media preferences
• local competitors, and more

For pricing, sample reports and additional information visit www.americanexpress.com/businessinsights-NRA.