10 Highlights of the 2017 NRA Show
By CSP Staff on May 24, 2017CHICAGO -- The National Restaurant Association’s 2017 NRA Show, held May 20-23, brought many concepts and trends—from new ways to use doughnuts to c-stores' threat to restaurants—to Chicago that reflect on the convenience-store industry’s foodservice efforts.
Here are 10 highlights that CSP’s editors brought back from the annual conference and trade show …
1. The retail threat
Why should traditional restaurants be wary of retailers—convenience stores, grocers and others—entering the foodservice business? Because they’ve got the space and the experience to do something the restaurants can’t. “[Retailers] have the training in handling food and dealing with sanitary conditions,” said branding expert Tre Musco, CEO and chief creative officer of San Francisco-based Tesser Inc., during an NRA Show workshop. “Plus, you can’t put a grocery section in a Chili’s or a Wendy’s.”
2. Tracking retail
Retail foodservice growth continues to outpace that of restaurants, with the supermarket prepared-foods category increasing sales by 8.6% in 2016 and convenience stores growing sales by 3.9%. What's next for retail foodservice? Technomic's Wade Hanson forecasts a major push behind supermarket breakfast programs, positioning grocers to differentiate and steal share in the daypart.
3. Clear and present
Two trends in packaged beverages shone clear during the NRA Show, often overlapping in the products on the trade-show floor: sparkling water and authenticity. Sparkling bubbled up in brands such as Alova, Spindrift, Voss and Smartwater, while authenticity shined through in Mexican, Latin American and Asian imported drinks such as Boing!, Tepachito, Topo Chico and T’best.
4. Move over, kale
For kitchens looking for the next big antioxidant-rich, nutrient-dense and distinctly flavored dark green superfood, Chef Ming Tsai said that “watercress is the new kale.” During a fast-paced cooking demo session, Tsai whipped up handfuls of watercress into a vibrantly colored, blended soup and lauded the peppery, pungent flavor notes of the leaf for use in soups, salads and smoothies. Another plus: Watercress is a fully sustainable “zero-impact” plant—meaning that it uses negative water consumption during its harvest season.
5. Smooth and creamy, meet dense and foamy
A big beverage trend at this year’s NRA Show was texture in beverages. Nitro coffee, which provides a smooth and creamy texture similar to that of a pint of Guinness, continues its upswing. Other vendors experimented with dense foams to give everything from coffee to juices and sparkling drinks a lightness.
6. Next-generation mobile
Apps may be a critical component in today’s digital toolbox, but some tech experts expect they’ll soon go extinct. Instead, according to Shane O'Flaherty, national director of hospitality and travel for Microsoft, each person will have an individualized bot on his or her device. When that person walks into a c-store, the bot will talk to the store’s bot, calling up past and frequent purchases, which the consumer can confirm right from his or her phone or watch. This evolution will allow consumers to avoid needing to interact with a multitude of unconnected apps.
7. More than meets the eye
Two big health-driven trends continued to permeate the show floor for another year: clean labels and plant-based proteins. The Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat puzzled passers-by with its rare-burger appearance, taste and texture, when in fact it’s made with peas and beet juice. And U.K. company Bakkavor launched its new Yaas! line of fresh-prepared grab-and-go foods, including a “breakfast hummus” made from almond butter and flaxseed, that all boast natural ingredients.
8. Chew on this
Baked goods received a facelift with unique applications and ingredients. Prairie City Bakery showed off its cinnamon-twist pastries sliced horizontally for a sweet brat bun, and doughnut holes and sausage bites skewered on sticks. Hawaiian company Mochi Foods showcased its doughnut mix made with rice flour that gives it a unique, slightly stretchy chewiness.
9. In other doughnut news …
Baked-goods maker Maplehurst offered a unique way to tap into the dual trends of doughnuts and customization. Its booth featured a doughnut bar where guests could choose from an array of toppings including popcorn, pretzels, malted-milk balls and toffee bits. Even though the bar was a one-off for the show, it’s an idea that could conceivably be replicated in a c-store.
10. Another five
CSP sister publication Restaurant Business picked out five more ideas from the NRA Show:
- How to lower third-party delivery fees: Gang up
- How to sell more meals: Charge in advance
- Copying airlines on pricing
- Get paid to hire someone
- Contending with the soda slowdown