ABOUT LRA
“The mission of the Louisiana Restaurant Association is to enhance and ensure the growth and development of the foodservice industry in Louisiana by working together as an industry to improve the political, economic, and social environment in which the industry conducts business. The LRA will develop and administer programs and services in order to continue its role as the indispensable resource for the members of the Association.”
The Louisiana Restaurant Association was established in 1946 to promote, protect and serve the interests of the state’s foodservice and hospitality industry. Under the leadership of its original officers and directors, the association set forth several founding principles that continue to guide the association to this day. Since its inception, the LRA has become one of the most outstanding state restaurant associations in the nation and is heralded as a leader among all trade associations.
In 1982, the association formed its Self Insurer's Fund for workers’ compensation – one of the most successful programs of its kind in the country. In 1995, the LRA moved its operations to its current 23,000-square foot headquarter building in Metairie, Louisiana. The association’s Education Foundation was established in 1996 and boasts one of the nation’s premier ProStart® programs with 49 schools and more than 1,000 students participating statewide. The annual Louisiana Foodservice EXPO, hosted by the LRA, is recognized as the region’s top tradeshow for the foodservice industry.
The LRA is governed by a Board of Directors that represents all segments of the foodservice and hospitality industry in Louisiana. The LRA, LRA/SIF and LRA Education Foundation have a staff of 49 professionals with the president serving as chief executive officer. Today, the LRA’s nine statewide chapters are composed of 7,000 restaurant operations and related businesses, including hotels, caterers, institutional feeders and suppliers of goods and services to the restaurant industry.