Meet Tom Bené, the new President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association. Tom may have just joined the team but he’s already getting in the trenches to advocate for restaurants. Today we’re chatting with Tom about his background, reasons for joining the association and his outlook on the future of the industry.

Emily Washcovick is a Small Business Expert at Yelp and our guest on this week’s edition of Order Up. She joins Helen to discuss all the creative marketing strategies and free tools that are available to struggling restaurants. Listen for tips to maximize your marketing and attract diners.

Restaurants are itching to reopen – people’s livelihoods are on the line. Now that states are beginning to allow the gradual reopening of restaurants, precautions must be taken to ensure employee and patron safety. Leigh Rogers Slack is the VP of Recruiting for Waffle House. Waffle House is leading the way in creating systems to ensure safety while getting people back to work. Listen to the episode for tips on navigating a safe return.

2020 has been a bleak year for the restaurant industry as it is experiencing what may amount to a $240 billion drop in sales due to the pandemic. The National Restaurant Association’s research team has been analyzing the numbers to forecast the immediate future of the industry. Hudson Riehle joins us today on Order Up to offer a glimpse at what the data is showing needs to happen for restaurants to survive.

As a Senior Vice President for the National Restaurant Association, Larry Lynch is in constant communication with government officials making policy decisions that directly impact the restaurant industry. Larry is our guest for our first episode of Order Up and is here to discuss some of the protocols restaurants can expect to see during the road to recovery ahead.

Order Up podcast brought to you by the National Restaurant Association brings you stories from behind the research and the policy.