Technology and sustainability were the highlights of the NRA Show 2023

Technology, service quality and sustainability were some of the highlights of the NRA Show 2023, one of the largest fairs in the Food Service sector in the world. The event, which took place from May 20 to 23 in Chicago (USA), brought together representatives of the food sector from several countries, including Brazilian businessmen who formed the largest foreign delegation at the fair.

FoodCo., a foodtech that brings together the largest community of restaurateurs in Brazil, was also present there and, on June 7th, at the second edition of FoodCo. Experiencein Curitiba, will share the main novelties and innovations of the world market presented at the event.

Below, we present some of the information shared by Henrique Cassins, head of Food.Co, who was present during the days of the fair in Chicago and, who brought a preview of international trends in the food service sector.

Service quality

In the lecture “The market of the future, where will we be in 2030?”, Pinky Cole, founder of the vegan restaurant Slutty Vegan and Danny Meyer, restaurateur with a trajectory of almost 40 years in the North American market and founder of the Union Square Hospitality Group, showed that customer satisfaction is a key aspect in business and also a great challenge, since it is necessary to consider generational differences in customer service. That is, understanding the needs of the younger public — more familiar with the digital menu, take away and delivery — and the more traditional customers — who value the experience and opinion of the waiter when placing an order, for example.

Another issue addressed in the lecture raised the importance of technology in improving business processes, standardization and performance gains, without leaving the humanization of care, service quality and level of customer satisfaction in second place. Also according to the speakers, in 2030, the food service sector will be steeped in technology, but also with quality personalized service.

Investment in manpower

Service quality was also one of the central points addressed in the lecture given by Justin Sutherland, North American chef, owner of a chain of restaurants and Iron Chef USA champion. According to Sutherland, just one negative comment on social media can jeopardize the entire operation of a company and, for this reason, he highlighted the importance of skilled labor. “First impressions last,” he said. For the American chef, a happy, trained and well-paid team tends to deliver good customer service, which leads the consumer to return again and again to the restaurants he owns.

2 in 1 technology

Ever heard of a deep freezer that has an oven? The equipment, which also has a cooking function, was one of the highlights of the fair. The model of the Italian brand Irinox, presents temperatures that vary between – 35ºC and + 85ºC and, the control can be done remotely, since it has Wi-Fi connection and up to 650 customizable programs. The consumer selects the cooking function and can automatically program the cooling and deep-freezing of the preparation, a novelty on the market.

Plant-based on the rise

Plant-based egg, can you imagine? This was also one of the trends presented at the NRA Show 2023, shared by Henrique Cassins, head of FoodCo. “It looks like an egg, it smells like an egg and, amazingly, it tastes like an egg! Based on chickpeas and soy protein, the plant-based egg was featured in several exhibitors at the event”, he reports.

Other foods from Mexican, Asian, Greek cuisine and from other countries around the world have also been produced using this technology, following a market trend focused on consumers looking for less industrialized foods and natural and whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, between others.

Sustainability at the NRA Show 2023

Finally, 100% recyclable packaging was also present at the fair, both in the exhibitors’ stands and in the tastings served throughout the event. Recycling is on the rise and has taken over the most diverse segments of food service.

In addition to these novelties from the NRA Show 2023, other trends presented at the fair will be shared in lectures, panels and pitches at the Food.Co Experience, on the 7th of June, occasion for exchanges and networking between entrepreneurs in the sector. For information and registration, visit here.