Food News Media, the publisher of QSR and FSR magazines, award-winning business publications for the restaurant industry, is now accepting entries for the 2016 HALO Awards, which seek to recognize and honor restaurants that are making meaningful contributions to a healthy, active lifestyle.
Both QSR and FSR have regularly covered the healthy, active lifestyle and how restaurants are addressing it, and the HALO Awards were launched in 2014 to add a formal recognition component. Winners of the inaugural program included Boston Market for its sodium-reduction initiative, Silver Diner for its complete menu overhaul, and Chick-fil-A for its new grilled chicken entrées, among others.
“We were very pleased with the response we received in year one of the program,” says Greg Sanders, group publisher of Food News Media. “We received more than 150 entries, and it was a challenge to choose the most deserving winners and honorable mentions—but it certainly demonstrated that many restaurants have in fact done great things to impact health positively. In year two we want to make sure restaurants continue to get the recognition they deserve, while also encouraging more progress throughout the industry.”
The awards program is open to both chain and—for the first time— independent restaurants, and welcomes entries for any aspect of restaurant operations. Examples include menu innovations, marketing messages, employee-focused health programs, sponsorships, and more. The deadline for entry is February 12, 2016, and winners will be honored both in QSR and FSR magazines, as well as at a special awards presentation held in conjunction with Food News Media’s annual gathering of restaurant operators and vendors during the National Restaurant Association show on May 22, 2016.
Restaurants are not the only ones making positive strides in the industry. Food suppliers are an equally important part of the equation, and Blount Fine Foods is one that has shown its support by becoming the Silver sponsor of the HALO Awards.
“We’re thankful for the support of Blount Fine Foods,” Sanders says. “Without our partners, none of this important work would be possible.”
For more information and to enter, visit www.foodnewsmedia.com/halo.
Food News Media, the parent company of FSR and QSR magazines, offers a full suite of media products to help operators and marketers connect with the entire $600 billion-plus U.S. restaurant industry. For more than two decades, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina–based publishing company has built a reputation for thought leadership and reporting on trends in dining for the American consumer.
