California Restaurant Assn. to Meet in L.A.

Marketing tips, new cooking technologies and new products will be among the offerings at the California Restaurant Assn.’s convention scheduled for Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More than 40,000 people are expected to attend, and 1,300 exhibitors have booked space to show off products and services such as bulk foods and ingredients, new cooking devices, restaurant equipment and accessories. Contests will be held and prizes awarded for best entrees and appetizers and the most innovative cooking technologies and methods. The convention will also feature 25 educational seminars dealing with such topics as rearranging the layout of menus to increase revenue and marketing strategies to distinguish restaurants from their neighborhood competitors. The event is slated to run through Monday and is open to the public. Admission is $30.