Economy leads discussions at NRA Show

This year's NRA show started with a bang and continued to roll through this weekend, as the foodservice industry gathered to see the latest products, hear from industry leaders and seek out best business practices.

Sunday's keynote panel presentation highlighted the success stories of Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle and restaurateurs Joe Bastianich and Daniel Boulud.

"The collective number one challenge for us is the economy,"NRA chairman Michael Kauffman said as he introduced the panel. "It’s no secret we've had to become sharper in building sales and managing costs."

The panel discussed the need for successful restaurants to offer better value to today's consumer, and not just with lower menu prices, but also through the quality of food and service.

"Let the customer experience validate [menu pricing],"said Bastianich, a New York-based restaurateur whose restaurants include Esca, Otto and Babbo. "It's relative ... but delivering value to customers is paramount today."

He mentioned that stimulating sales is key today, even at the expense of short-term margins. Like many in the industry, he has lowered some prix-fixe menu pricing and has explored ways to create dishes with less-expensive ingredients.