Recession

With the 90th annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago heading in to its third day, many attendees are disappointed with low turnout compared with past years.

The four-day event, which attracted an estimated 71,500 attendees and more than 2,200 exhibitors in 2008, has seen a significant slimming this year, as the recession has hit one of the largest restaurant-industry gatherings in the world.

"They're holding their own, but, like everything else, [the NRA Show has] been affected" by the economy, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Saturday on the convention floor in McCormick Place. "This is a tsunami."

The NRA could not estimate attendance before the show ends on Tuesday because of a surge in late registrants, but Greg Kirrish, vice president of sales and marketing for the association, said attendance numbers would "undoubtedly" fall short of last year's figures.

A Coca-Cola spokesman estimated a drop off of 15 to 20 percent from 2008.

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