National Restaurant Association Announces Collaboration with Healthy Dining

Unveils New Restaurant Nutrition Web Site – healthydiningfinder.com – at 2005 Show

May 18, 2005

Contact: Erica Bohm (800) 953-3463, Katharine Kim 202-331-5939

(Chicago, Ill.) The National Restaurant Association and the California-based Healthy Dining program are teaming up in an unprecedented effort aimed at enabling diners to more easily identify healthful choices at restaurants nationwide. This new nutrition initiative – being unveiled at this year's National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, held May 21-24, at McCormick Place in Chicago – features a Web site, healthydiningfinder.com, through which consumers will be able to search for restaurants that provide nutritious options, based on criteria such as zip code, type of cuisine and/or price range.

With the unveiling of the site at the NRA Show, restaurants are invited to enroll in the program. Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Association, hails healthydiningfinder.com as "a terrific win-win for restaurants and diners alike, and we encourage restaurants to become part of this important effort."

Healthy Dining plans a major consumer launch of the Web site during the first quarter of 2006. All types of restaurants will be included on the site, from quickservice to fine dining; from independents to the nation's largest chains. Additionally, the site will be extensively and continuously promoted to the public, as well as to numerous channels that are striving to find sensible approaches to addressing the issue of obesity among some Americans. Healthy Dining will raise awareness of this interactive resource with health professionals and health organizations, businesses and business groups, weight management programs, gyms and health clubs.

Restaurateurs and the media are invited to learn more about www.healthydiningfinder.com and see a demonstration of the Web site at the National Restaurant Association's booth (#6300) during the Show. Additionally, Erica Bohm, Healthy Dining's Vice President and Director of Strategic Partnerships, will present an educational seminar on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. in Room S404 (South Hall), entitled "New Opportunities in Today's Nutrition-Conscious Market." Ms. Bohm will share winning strategies and marketing opportunities that can be used by operators looking for a competitive edge in today's health and fitness-oriented marketplace. She will also demo the new healthydiningfinder.com Web site. Additionally, several restaurateurs who are incorporating a healthy dining component in their operations will share their success stories.

With a growing number of restaurants promoting more nutritious options on their menus and encouraging healthy lifestyles, healthydiningfinder.com will highlight the industry's positive and proactive commitment to healthier living. It is a reasonable, cost-effective, and high-profile way to incorporate a nutrition component into operations.

Healthy Dining has been providing nutrition analysis and related services to Southern California restaurants since 1990. For their team of health and marketing specialists, healthydiningfinder.com is a natural extension of their previous efforts.

"This project brings together several contemporary lifestyle trends: dining out, nutrition, and the Internet," explains Bohm. "With Americans eating out more frequently today, the availability of more nutritious options – not only at home but also in restaurants – is important." For more information about healthydiningfinder.com, visit the Association's booth #6300, attend Healthy Dining's educational session on May 22, or call (800) 953-DINE (3463).

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 13.1 million employees - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.