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ATLANTA, May 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GP PRO, a leading provider of food service disposable products for commercial facilities, today announced the Dixie Ultra™ SmartStock® Automated Napkin System—a new, advanced dispensing solution to be showcased at the 2017 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show. The cutting-edge innovation in the premium tier of the Dixie® portfolio is designed to elevate the patron dining experience and reduce operational costs through portion control and logistics efficiency for limited service restaurants (LSR).

"Waste and contamination are chief concerns among food service facility owners and operators, as both have profound front- and back-of-the-house impact on everything from customer safety and experience to operational performance and stakeholder return," said Craig Yardley, vice president and general manager of napkins and food packaging at GP PRO. "By listening to our partners, we improve, and even invent, Dixie® products and solutions that streamline operations, enhance their image and ultimately empower them to stand out and compete for business."

GP PRO research indicates that 82 percent of LSR employees believe that waste is an issue, and the same number have concerns about keeping items, surfaces and floors clean and germ-free to prevent food contamination. The Dixie portfolio of solutions helps to alleviate operator anxieties across food service facilities by targeting waste reduction and improving hygiene at major touchpoints in the patron experience.

The Dixie Ultra SmartStock Automated Napkin Machine targets waste reduction and manages portion control by dispensing an operator-selected pre-set number of napkins per patron or order size. The solution drives significant benefits to food service facility owners, operators and maintainers:

• Waste and Cost Reduction: The automated napkin system enables food service facilities to control napkin portions, which can reduce total napkin usage by up to 40 percent¹, leading to a lower total napkin spend.
• Increased Food Safety: The automated napkin system has fewer touch points, which helps reduce napkin or dispenser contamination.
• Easy and Quick Maintenance: With a LED light refill indicator, five-second load time and machine washable parts, the automated napkin system is effective and efficient for maintainers.
• Improved Patron Satisfaction: The solution provides a cohesive design for an elevated look, including customized skins for brand and message delivery. Seventy-six percent of patrons say Dixie Ultra SmartStock solutions improve their impression of a restaurant.
• Sustainable Solutions: The automated napkin system has a dense pack design that reduces carton waste and has 40 percent less total napkin usage, which helps reduce landfill trash.

A second product enhancement being previewed at NRA and now available for in-market testing is the Dixie Ultra™ SmartStock® Wrapped Cutlery Dispenser, which delivers cutlery wrapped only at the eating end and dispenses one utensil at a time. The cutlery system's design eliminates 60 percent of the plastic wrapping of typical wrapped cutlery, while still protecting the critical eating end of the utensil. And, its one-at-a-time dispensing reduces overconsumption and cost. The cutlery in the wrapped cutlery dispenser is made of heavy-weight polypropylene, which enables local recycling where available².

"It takes a small army of dedicated food service professionals to create and serve great experiences that keep customers coming back for more," said Alec Frisch, vice president and general manager of beverage, cutlery, plate and container categories at GP PRO. "We are proud to bring the superior quality and ingenuity of the Dixie brand to our food service partners, and we honor all those individuals and teams on the frontlines of restaurants and cafeterias who Serve Greatness on a daily basis."

The premium Dixie Ultra® innovations and the full portfolio of Dixie offerings for limited service restaurants will be featured at the NRA Show 2017, May 20-23 in Chicago at GP PRO booth 238.

For more information about GP PRO's Dixie Ultra SmartStock System solutions, visit www.GPPRO.com/DixieUltraSmartstock or watch our segment on Worldwide Business with kathy ireland®. And for more updates, follow GP PRO on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About GP PRO
GP PRO, a division of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP, manufactures and sells well-known brands like enMotion^®, Compact^®, Angel Soft Professional Series^®, Brawny Industrial^®, Dixie^®, SmartStock^® and PerfecTouch^®. GP PRO products meet restroom, food service and break room needs for office buildings, healthcare, food service, high traffic, lodging, retail and education facilities plus a wide range of industrial and manufacturing facilities in North America.

SOURCE GP PRO