June National

1930s: Prohibition ends, but the Depression is in full swing. Congress's National Recovery Act requires each industry to prepare a "Code of Fair Competition" in 1933. The National Restaurant Association quickly complies. Membership doubles. In an appeal to customers in bleak times, the National Restaurant Association tries out two advertising slogan: "Enjoy Life — Eat Out More Often" and "Take Her Out to Dinner at Least Once a Week." 1927: The growing National Restaurant Association moves its headquarters from Kansas City to Chicago. 1920: Prohibition begins in 1920, kicking off a 13- year ban on alcohol sales. Restaurants used to serving free sandwiches with 5-cent beers develop new marketing tactics. Despite Prohibition, the industry thrives, riding a wave of national prosperity. Howard Johnson's opens its first franchises, White Castle's 5-cent burgers grow popular, and Willard Marriott opens his first Hot Shoppes. 1940s: Post-WWII restaurant sales hit a new high. The number of meals served triples from a prewar level of 20 million meals a day to a postwar level of more than 60 million meals a day. The National Restaurant Association launches an Educational Department to help busy restaurateurs do their jobs better. The Association also produces its first film "America's Heritage of Hospitality" to promote the industry and recruit new employees.

1919: Kansas City restaurateurs launch a national organization, holding the first meeting of what is today's National Restaurant Association on March 13 in Kansas City. The fledgling organization represents an industry of 43,000 restaurants. 1917: When egg brokers try to demand a price of 65 cents a dozen, the year-old Kansas City Restaurant Association, one of the restaurant industry's earliest professional associations, organizes an egg boycott. Egg prices plummet to 32 cents. The seeds of a national movement are sown.

Show attendees gather to watch demos of new equipment, taste new foods and ingredients and learn more about what's available in the foodservice space.

As proud partners of the National Restaurant Association, we connect restaurateurs like you with products to make sales, move money and manage your people. From food trucks to fine dining, one location or 20, Heartland offers point of sale (POS), payments and payroll solutions tailored to meet your restaurant’s needs.

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