Making Sustainability Profitable This industry has long strived to gen- erate more sustainable solutions, but this year sustainability was a much, much bigger part of the spotlight as evidenced by the volume of exhibitors touting eco-friendly products. Most of these exhibitors were packaging companies promoting features like compostable, recyclable, PFAS-free, or aqueous coating. Dave Lewis, with Detpak, said busi- ness is busier than it’s ever been, driv- en by increased regulations. He add- ed that there is also a higher need for such solutions because of elevated delivery and takeout traffic, requiring more packaging. Packaging certainly isn’t the only piece of this sustainability puzzle. More people are seeking food waste solutions both because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s a cost savings measure, according to Robb White of Leanpath. “Operators realize this is a way to save money during a time they are looking for more ways to save money because of all the other costs they’re dealing with,” White said. “Plus, you’re not just wasting your food, you’re wasting the labor that went into mak- ing that food. We just can’t do that as an industry anymore. We’re running on tighter margins.”
“ Last year, everyone was talking about robots. This year, they’re all talking about AI.” — Austin Prosser
AI may be a buzzword, but not for long Artificial intelligence is the preor - dained hot tech item at the Show this year, and for good reason. Swing a baguette and you’re likely to hit a tech vendor pitching their new AI tool. It has earned AI the reputation of being a buzzword, and that’s also fair: The technology has a lot of promise but it’s also become a bandwagon. Ask around though, and you’ll find plenty of people who are bullish on AI. Liz Moskow, a restaurant consultant who specializes in technology, says AI doesn’t deserve to get lumped in with
other emerging tech like robots. She believes it’s the real deal. Asked whether AI would ever be able to write a song with the same emotional weight as a human musi- cian, she said, “I do think AI will. It’s learning every day.” Dena Meek, the CEO and founder of an AI startup called XBlock, shared that view. She may be a little biased. But then again, she works with AI every day, and she said it only improves—it never goes backwards. “It’s going to be more powerful than us soon,” she said.
Beverages are having a moment We know consumers want more spe- cialty beverages and we definitely saw that reflected on the show floor – ev - erything from energy drinks to mat- cha to boba. Lots and lots of boba. We also saw more choices for rim- mers – beyond margarita salt. Twang had an entire display for its beverage accoutrements, from toppings and in-
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National Restaurant Association Show 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: FREEPIK.COM
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