ROME, Italy – Economy and hospitality are the themes at the center of the second edition of the Restaurants Day for the Culture of Italian Hospitality, the event promoted by FIPE-Confcommercio, the Italian Federation of Public Establishments, with the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism.
After the last year’s success, over 10,000 enterprises, including restaurants, trattorias, taverns and pizzerias, have shown their support, together with 85 associations and almost 1,000 Italian restaurants abroad. This level of participation in the initiative reflects the widespread need among the operators in our country for an open and constructive discussion on the economic, social and cultural values represented by the sector.
The event, in fact, aims to remember that Italian catering, with 54 billion in added value and 1.4 million employed, is strategic for value chains, but also remains a fundamental hub of history, traditions and territorial identity with a very rich offer that resists despite the explosion of “food pluralism” due to its strong ability to combine food with an identifiable Italian lifestyle.
The DDL No. 1672 on the establishment of the Restaurants Day presented to the Chamber underlines, not surprisingly, the aim of ” enhancing and strengthening the role of Italian catering in its different forms and typologies, pursuing the values of the connection, sharing, conviviality and community.”
In addition to the President of FIPE-Confcommercio Lino Enrico Stoppani, the initiative was attended by the President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida and the President of HOTREC, the European association that brings together public establishments, Alexandros Vassilikos. The Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani and the President of Confcommercio Carlo Sangalli attended with a message.
The Restaurants Day is dedicated to the food tradition of our country and to the challenges that await the catering sector, widely underlined by the FIPE 2024 Restaurants Report, with the necessary changes in business models that redefine the economic sustainability of the enterprises to the new consumer needs, increasingly sensitive to digital, environmental innovations and to social inclusion.
“For the Restaurants Day 2024 we wanted to focus on the economic model that Italian catering offers and which sees food as an element of sociality, hospitality, belonging and, at the same time, the differentiation of the offering, fueling a supply chain with a constantly growing trend in terms of the number of enterprises, related industries and employment”, commented the President of FIPE-Confcommercio Lino Enrico Stoppani, “Italian catering interprets (and constantly reinterprets) the ‘myth’ of cuisine, the conviviality and lifestyle of our country, with an indisputable role in the development, promotion and ability of the growth of territories and Italy in general”.
Italian catering is unique at European and international levels as well for its value and its peculiarities; it is synonymous of quality and prestige. It was demonstrated by the participation of the President of Hotrec Alexandros Vasillikos, who wanted to underline the importance of the sector for Europe: “By celebrating Restaurant Day in Italy, we recognize the strategic importance of cooperation between the national and European levels. In tourism we need to be recognized as an economic and social hub that creates millions of jobs. And we will also be together to support our businesses for a successful digital transition. Our recent actions in Brussels have shown us the power of working together and the vital role restaurants play in promoting economic growth and creating jobs”, declared Vasillikos.
Furthermore, thanks to the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, FIPE promotes an important charity initiative to support and launch the Italian Caritas community canteens throughout the national territory, thus offering opportunities for refreshment and socializing to those who live in fragile conditions. The Italian Caritas is at the forefront in listening to the needs of the territories through the network of its Diocesan Caritas and in activating widespread interventions to fight against the food poverty through multiple initiatives such as soup kitchens for the poor and for people in fragile conditions: the charity underlines the importance of the values of inclusion, sharing and relationships that are the basis of the culture of hospitality.
To contribute to the charity project in favor of the Italian Caritas it will be possible to donate through the Intesa Sanpaolo crowdfunding platform “Forfunding”, both on www.forfunding.com and by scanning the QR Code available on the centerpieces positioned in the 10,000 participating restaurants throughout Italy. Furthermore, anyone will be able to support the project with a donation through the ATM of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group in the days before and after the Restaurants Day.
The initiative was created with the support of Mulino Caputo, Cirio, Consorzio Tutela Vino Custoza DOC, Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano, Intesa Sanpaolo, Lavazza, Gruppo Sanpellegrino and Zucchetti Hospitality and with the creative direction of Rampello & Partners.
