We’ve just returned from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show in Chicago. Wow! 20 football fields of food, beverage and hospitality industry displays. It’s everything under the sun for the the food service industry. I sampled, I schmoozed and I walked and walked and walked. Met some great people and gathered wonderful ideas and resources for our clients.
The National Restaurant Association forecasts these as the top trends for 2013: gluten-free menu items, meats and charcuterie cured in-house, nonwheat noodles and pastas such as quinoa and buckwheat, house-made sodas and drinks barrel-aged onsite. I’d say the flavor of the convention was grapefruit-it was everywhere.
It was an amazing experience and well worth the trip. If you’re considering attending this show, or one like it, don’t go without a plan. It’s impossible to imagine the size and scope of this event and without an organized game plan and goals you’ll end up wasting valuable time. Bring your walking shoes and your “fat pants”—the snacking is amazing!