National Restaurant Association Expo 2009 Preview

By Chuck Sudo in Food on May 15, 2009 2:40PM

The annual National Restaurant Association trade show, beginning tomorrow at McCormick Place, serves two primary purposes. It's a showcase for new products tailored for the restaurant and food service industries. From point-of-sale systems and cookware to beverage dispensers and entertainment systems, NRA Show 2009 is one of the best places to find customers for the latest hot thing.

It also serves as a sort of checkpoint for the state of the industry. Last year, the NRA projected a 4.4 percent increase in industry sales. Of course, that was before the bottom dropped out on our banana republic economy and restaurants across the country either shuttered windows or started offering budget meals. Sorry, "stimulus packages." This week has seen the closings of Le Lan, Soul in Clarendon Hills, and Yats on Randolph Street. Those closings are examples how much of a crap-shoot it can be to open and, in the case of Le Lan, maintain a restaurant.

But NRA Show 2009, like previous years, aims for the future of the industry. And it's always rosy, given the star power that always shows up. Chefs with household names are on hand, selling their latest cookbooks and sponsored products. Seminars touch topics ranging from how to shop for sustainable foodstuffs and implementing green practices to how to maximize a restaurant's profit margin. Then there is the sheer mass of new products on display. The show can be daunting to cover based on its sheer size. NRA Show 2009 and its companion wine, spirits and beer event runs through Tuesday. Anthony and I will be at the show this weekend. Anthony will post on new products; I'll be covering seminars.