The restaurant brokers traveled to Chicago recently to attend the National Restaurant Association show.  What was on the agenda and why attend as restaurant brokers?  That was a question asked by one attendee we met in line.   Here’s the answer.  The National Restaurant Association annual trade show places all off the most impactful brands, trends, restaurateurs and industry professionals in one place once a year.  We experienced everything from Food Network stars to seminars and product roll outs to tastings.  Combine that with business meetings with franchisors and exhibitors and this was a winning show.  All of that helps us do our job better as we help other buy a restaurant or even sell a restaurant.

After all, a full service restaurant brokerage firm is a value added proposition.  We do more than simple match a buyer and seller and walk away.  We are often called upon before or after the sale to assist with every element of the transaction.  We may be asked about food trends (easily learned at the seminar “Menu Trends” hosted by Nancy Kruse at the restaurant show.  A buyer may want to know how to offer the latest in delivery of beer (how about a beer cooler that takes up less than 8 feet by 2 feet on the floor and doesn’t require a separate keg cooler).  A seller may want to know where he can find suppliers for products to replace outdated practices (like using conventional labels on food versus a great vendor called Pan Pens that writes on and wipes off). 

The restaurant brokers will be blogging (and sharing video) for days about all the sights, sounds, trends and learnings of the show but here are a few photos that caught our eye on first pass through.

High End Furnishings –

 If you want to elevate the look of a restaurant, there are vendors touting the most upscale interior furnishings we have seen in a while.  Check out the photo of this tufted and buttoned high top booth in a color that says “look at me!”

 Food Allergies/Gluten Free/Vegetarian/Organic

An entire section of the show was dedicated to gluten free and other food allergies.  One National Restaurant Assoociation publication said 30% of all restaurant patrons were seeking Gluten Free alternatives.  Trust the restaurant brokers on this; vendors are reacting and there is no reason your menu shouldn’t be reflective of this option which has far outgrown “trend” to be outright “demand” by consumers.

 Keg to Table –

There were lots of vendors demonstrating table top delivery of beer or draught taps created for a maximum visual impact.  These are sure to spark more sales so there’s definitely a reason to check out an upgrade if you’re doing what you’ve always done.

Food, Food and More Food

The restaurant brokers were stuffed from sampling one (was it only one?) of everything on the floor.  We saw tons of ready-made products that were fresh tasting and fast.  Most options were minutes from freezer to table with minimal effort by your staff and great taste profiles.  If you haven’t visited a food show lately, break out of your routine and get there.  The restaurant brokers saw multiple opportunities to cut down on costly kitchen labor prep costs and get great taste options for your menu.

All in all, this was a fantastic opportunity to meet up with those in our industry, continue to strengthen our relationships and knowledge base and prepare to help our customers in even more ways as restaurant brokers. We will be sharing a lot more from this show in both written and video form over the coming days on our blog.

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