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‘American Steak Festival’ Promotes U.S. Beef to Georgia’s Thriving Hospitality Industry

Published: Sep 18, 2015

The American Steak Festival was held at five different restaurants in Tbilisi, Georgia, as a way to promote U.S. beef in the popular tourist destination Georgia, to attend the American Steak Festival

To promote the high quality and consistency of U.S. beef to a wider Georgian audience and especially to tourists who visit the region, USMEF sponsored “The American Steak Festival,” an event in the capital city of Tbilisi that included hotel and restaurant training and tasting sessions. Funding support was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program.

Georgia’s hospitality industry capitalizes on a wide range of world-class recreational opportunities – including skiing in the Caucasus Mountains and sunbathing along the Black Sea Coast. Georgia’s resorts attract thousands of visitors from all over the world, including many who have not been properly introduced to U.S. beef.

“The American Steak Festival not only introduced U.S. beef and the steak culture to many new consumers, it helped the HRI segment in Georgia identify a great product for the country’s guests,” said Galina Kochubeeva, USMEF representative in Greater Russia. “The event was very timely, as the region was preparing to host the European Youth Olympic Festival and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Super Cup, as well as a number of other important events.”

Taking part in the American Steak Festival were five popular Tbilisi restaurants: Tsiskvili, Otium, Erdinger, Steakhouse No. 1 and Metexis Chrdili. Guests, business partners and regular customers of the restaurants were invited to participate in the event and sample U.S. marbled steaks and other beef dishes. Area residents were made aware of the festival through leaflets and flyers distributed at metro stations, business centers and at entrances to each participating restaurant. Georgian broadcasting stations Fortune, Fortune Plus and Ardaidardo also aired promotional spots and made on-air announcements from the restaurants.

Training and tasting sessions for chefs and servers demonstrated proper handling of various cuts and to highlight palatability, quality, consistency and standards to those dining during the festival. The information provided will help these restaurant professionals introduce U.S. beef to a wider range of customers.

“This promotion helped achieve strong steak sales for the restaurants involved, and of course it helps promote U.S. beef to consumers who may have been taking their first bite,” said Kochubeeva, who noted that cuts of chilled U.S. beef were supplied by Kanti, an importer for retail and HRI clients in the region.