NRA wrap-up: A look at this year's tastiest trade show

If you’ve ever wondered where drinking straws come from, how many varieties of cocktail stir sticks there are, or where you can find a motorcycle in the shape of a giant prawn, this year's National Restaurant Association Show had all your answers. With almost 2,000 exhibitors and an annual attendance of about 50,000, the event is the largest restaurant and hospitality trade show in the western hemisphere. This year's show ran from May 22-25, and the Rewards Network team was in attendance.

Yvette Montague, Director of Client Marketing, and Katie Kaminsky, Account Executive, at the Rewards Network booth.At the show, now in its 91st year, you can find every product imaginable—from rubber floor mats to beautiful china and flatware, high-tech espresso machines, and comfy shoes for chefs. If you’re a restaurateur, it’s the place to come to research everything you’ll need to outfit your business.

Rewards Network was stationed in the technology pavilion, where our account executives and marketing team were on hand to talk to potential clients. We met a lot of great restaurateurs who were interested in learning about our services and offering rewards to their diners.

I had a chance to walk down the seemingly endless aisles of the show yesterday, surveying some of the products and services typically visible only to industry insiders. (Who knew they manufactured underwater pagers? If a table opens up while you’re scuba diving, you just might need one!) Here are a few snaps from the show floor:

Chefs and other industry professionals also hit the dance floor yesterday morning during what may have been the first-ever "Foodie Flash Mob," featuring the music of Lady Gaga:

While the NRA Show is full of big names like Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Bush, there were also quite a few independent entrepreneurs working the four-day show. Three of them took a moment to tell me about their innovations. 

Jesse Chehayeb of San Gabriel, California is the inventor of Falafel Chips. I sampled the spicy variety with a side of cool hummus. If I can’t get to Taste of Lebanon on Foster (my favorite place for falafel in Chicago), I would gladly snack on these at home. Gluten-free, organic, vegetarian, kosher, and halal—these chips are bound to please just about anyone. They were a big hit when I took them back to our booth!

Sandra Bagan of Thousand Oaks California showcased off her Purse Butler a handy, go-anywhere hook you carry with you in your bag. I’m always looking for a place to set my bag at bars or restaurants (preferably not on a beer-stained floor), so this product definitely caught my eye. I gave it a test-drive back in my cubicle, and it works like a charm! 

Sid Martinez of San Antonio, Texas invited me to try his Original Mexican Fortune Cookie. This wafer-thin, taco-shaped cookie has a hint of cinnamon and comes with a bilingual message inside. My fortune? No mire un caballo de regalo en la boca. That’s, “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” In a show filled with freebies and handouts, a good tip to remember!

Elizabeth is a member of iDine®.

Comments

[Lynn Seldon]

Tasty pictures and video! This chef groupie hopes to make it to the NRA Show one year!