DiRoNA and Lebhar-Friedman Books premiere new dining guide

Nation's Restaurant News, May 22, 2000

DiRoNA is a nonprofit organization whose members are restaurateurs that seek to raise the industry standards of dining in North America. The organization's new publication will feature photos, maps, menus and specialties for 400 DiRoNA award-winning restaurants.

NEW YORK -- A new annual restaurant guide with four-color photographs and detailed information will list the finest of North America's fine-dining restaurants. Lebhar-Friedman Books, a sister division of Nation's Restaurant News, will publish "The 2001 DiRoNA Guide," the newest edition of the guide to Distinguished Restaurants of North America.

The new edition will be available in bookstores, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walden, Books-A-Million, Crown and other outlets across the United States and Canada, in September 2000.

The publication of the guide will be launched at the annual DiRoNA Awards Conference in New York City, Oct. 22-26, 2000. "The 2001 DiRoNA Guide" will be a major departure from previous editions of the DiRoNA listings. It will feature more than 400 award-winning restaurants, with each restaurant featured on a full page, complete with several four-color photos, descriptions of menus and specialties, and other interesting information, including the following details:

* a map and written directions to the restaurant

* distance from nearest major airport

* address, phone, fax, Web site

* cuisine specialty

* Owners' names

* days restaurant is open

* average pricing of dinner for one

* dress code

* reservations policy

* parking facilities

* meeting or party rooms

* acceptance of credit cards

* smoking policy

Geoff Golson, publisher of Lebhar-Friedman Books, explained, "No fine-dining guide quite like this has ever been published. The idea is to give diners all the information they need about a restaurant. After all, a fine dinner for four

today can cost quite a bit, so choosing the right restaurant for business or friends and family is becoming more and more important. Diners need more than just a couple of pithy quotes to make their decisions." In addition to bookstores, the guide will be sold over Internet sites, such as Amazaon.com and bn.com, at airport book and gift stores, select newsstands and other outlets. DiRoNA Award-winning restaurants listed in the guide also will have the opportunity to sell copies of the guide in their restaurants.

As part of the parent company of Nation's Restaurant News, Lebhar-Friedman Books publishes approximately 30 titles per year for businesses and consumers. Reflecting a strong tradition of involvement in restaurant and food, the division publishes many titles that are food-oriented and produced in partnership with industry leaders, such as DiRoNA, The Culinary Institute of America and the American Academy of Chefs.

Following the charter of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America, each restaurant in the guide has been independently and anonymously inspected before it is eligible to receive the DiRoNA Award and be listed in the guide.

Harold W. Stayman, director of inspections for DiRoNA, described the process as follows: "Our DiRoNA inspection team is composed of 36 trained inspectors who collectively have more than 350 years of restaurant industry experience. Every inspection is conducted anonymously and analyzes all aspects of the dining experience from reservations through departure from the restaurant."

Stayman said the inspections are conducted throughout the year. He added: "Our inspectors are all volunteers who have traveled extensively and are screened carefully for potential conflicts of interest. Each inspector is trained and qualified to evaluate restaurants throughout North America. The detailed inspection to determine a restaurant's merit of the DiRoNA Award of Excellence requires a 75-point criteria evaluation and achievement of the highest standards of quality."

DiRoNA is a nonprofit organization. Its membership consists of restaurateurs who, by recognizing excellence in their field, seek to raise industry standards and promote distinguished dining in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The current chairman of DiRoNA is chef John Folse of Gonzales, La. He heads up the organization that launched the DiRoNA Award program in 1992. The founding members of DiRoNA are the recipients of the Travel/Holiday Award in 1989, which was the last year that the award was presented. Founding sponsors of the program are American Express Travel Related Services Co. Inc. and Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine.

To qualify for a listing in DiRoNA, a restaurant must be in business under the same ownership for at least three years. The DiRoNA designation remains in effect for three years, at which point the inspection process begins anew. If a restaurant undergoes a change of ownership or concept during the three years the award is in effect, it forfeits the award. It will be ineligible for the award until it has fulfilled the requirement of being in business for three years.

The award itself, designed by legendary advertising executive George Lois, is a die-cut figure of a whimsical, contented diner.