Washington, DC, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and Oracle Food and Beverage released “A Look Inside the National ProStart Invitational,” a detailed analysis on the innovative culinary and management concepts presented by high school students at the 2018 National ProStart Invitational.
ProStart, a nationwide program for high school students focused on developing the next generation of restaurant and foodservice leaders, culminates in an annual, national competition where more than 400 students compete for scholarships and recognition from top restaurant leaders and educators. The 2018 competition was held in Providence, Rhode Island, where 92 teams showcased their skills by creating unique menus and building complete restaurant concepts.
Oracle, a leading technology solutions company for food and beverage operators, expressed interest in capturing the trends and standouts from the “next-gen” audience’s insights on innovation, efficiency and technology in foodservice. In collaboration with the Foundation, the tech company developed the report to highlight top trends from the event.
“Oracle Food and Beverage has been a proud supporter of the NRAEF and the ProStart program for years now,” said Chris Adams, vice president of F & B strategy of Oracle Food and Beverage. “The talent that is shown by these ProStart students is unbelievable. They are truly the future of the restaurant industry, and we, as industry professionals, should be paying attention to them.”
Top highlights from the competition included:
• Restaurant concepts included solar powered food trucks, fast casual restaurants with twist and menus scientifically proven to alter your mood
• Unique floor design software to design restaurant layouts, manage workflow and customer flow, and create shared spaces for open demonstration kitchens, rooftop herb gardens and in-house butchers
• Sustainably sourced menus, unique ingredients, reduction techniques and exotic spices
• The use of rabbit, quail, bison and duck, with vegetables and starches such as beets, butternut squash and sweet potatoes
“We’re proud to partner with Oracle Food and Beverage to highlight trends and technology from students competing at our National ProStart Invitational,” said Rob Gifford, executive vice president of the NRAEF. “This project showcases not only how much students learn from ProStart, but also showcases how the next generation of leaders are incredibly forward-thinking.”
“Some of these students have concepts that are ready for market today,” said Michael Santos, CEO of Tailored Food and Beverage and 2018 lead management judge of the event.
This year’s National ProStart Invitational will take place May 8-10, 2019 in Washington, DC. To learn more about the event, ProStart and the Foundation’s work to build pathways to meaningful jobs and careers in restaurants and foodservice, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.
About Oracle Food and Beverage
Oracle Food and Beverage brings 40 years of experience in providing technology solutions to food and beverage operators. We provide hardware, software and services that allow our customers to deliver exceptional guest experiences while maximizing profitability. Our solutions include integrated point-of-sale, loyalty, reporting and analytics, inventory and labor management, all delivered from the cloud to lower IT cost and maximize business agility. For more information about Oracle Food and Beverage, visit http://www.Oracle.com/Industries/Food-Beverage/Index.html
About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready – partnering with community based organizations to provide “opportunity youth” with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship Project – a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.
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