According to the U.S. based National Restaurant Association's chief economist, Bruce Grindy, eating and drinking places added a net 38,000 jobs in December, their second-strongest monthly gain of 2012. Restaurants continued to add jobs at a robust pace in December, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Eating and drinking places — the primary component of the restaurant industry, which accounts for roughly three-fourths of the total restaurant and foodservice workforce — added a net 38,000 jobs in December on a seasonally-adjusted basis. December's solid hiring output was the second-strongest gain of the year, finishing only behind a net increase of 39,600 jobs in August. In total, eating and drinking places added a net 285,600 jobs during 2012.

Overall, the national economy added a net 155,000 jobs in December, which is generally on trend with the job growth registered during the second half of 2012. Job growth was broad-based in December, with the health care (45,000) construction (30,000), manufacturing (25,000), professional-and-business services (19,000) and financial activities (9,000) sectors all posting employment gains.

Although the national economy added more than 1.8 million jobs during 2012, it still remains roughly 4 million jobs down from the prerecession peak in January 2008. Steady job growth is expected in 2013, but full employment recovery will not likely occur until late 2014.

Source: National Restaruant Association

The National Restaurant Association surveyed 1800 chefs and 200 professional bartenders about what trends we can expect to see in 2013. This under 3 minute video gives you the result of that research.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) today revealed its new branding architecture and visual identity, which will be applied to all the organization's programs, advocacy, services and products this year.

The fresh, new visual identity will help build cohesiveness in the NRA's brand structure, and is a step in its multi-year strategic plan to strengthen the connection and messaging to core constituents. The new brand visual is designed to reflect the richness and diversity of the $632 billion restaurant industry and its nearly 13 million employees.

"Creating this new visual identity has been a wonderful experience, as we have taken the many beloved aspects of the industry and translated them into imagery," said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “We also incorporated our organization's history into the new brand, bringing in elements from our logo from the 1920s, as well as elements from our well-established ProStart and ServSafe brands.”

To read the entire article, go here:  
http://www.restaurant.org/nra_news_blog/2012/07/national-restaurant-association-unveils-new-branding-initiative-logo.cfm