"Eat Out, Boost Economy" Says Restaurant Association

The National Restaurant Association has hired Alexandria, Va.-based Smith & Harroff for an ad campaign to encourage Americans to dine out as a way to boost the economy, the food service industry, and as a return to daily life after the September 11 attacks reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily. The restaurant industry says it has lost business and has had to lay off workers as a result of the attacks. Premiering October 23 in U.S. dailies, the "Help America Turn the Tables" campaign promotes the restaurant industry as a "$1 trillion 'cornerstone' of the U.S. economy, saying 'every dollar spent dining out generates more than two dollars for other industries.'"