The National Restaurant Association Show is a conference that brings together professionals from across the foodservice industry to present new ideas and showcase product innovations. In its first iteration since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 show in Chicago showcased pandemic era solutions alongside forward-looking innovations, with much of the focus on the latter. The show sought to look past the survival solutions that emerged during the pandemic and towards the adjusted future of restaurants, and eating more broadly. Many of these innovations represented three key foodservice themes: plant-based eating, back of house restaurant management platforms, and sustainability in packaging....
Digitalisation in the foodservice industry, a growing trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which has rapidly accelerated since early 2020, was another key theme at the National Restaurant Association Show. In response to an overwhelming influx of digital orders throughout the past two years, many restaurant operators have been investing in digital infrastructure to better manage restaurant operations, efficiently process digital orders, and provide consumers with user-friendly ordering and payment systems. Digital services on display at the show ranged from integrated point-of-sale systems from companies such as Clover and Toast, to smart food pick-up lockers from Apex, to AI-driven data analytics platforms such as ClearCOGS, which uses historic data and machine learning to predict food preparation needs on a daily basis, with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing food waste. With global demand for digital ordering expected to continue to grow throughout the forecast period, the demand for and necessity of digital infrastructure solutions will only continue to increase. The variety of solutions on display at the National Restaurant Association Show highlights the growing demand for these services and the significant role they play within the broader global foodservice industry.