One of the largest restaurant shows was over the weekend in Chicago. National Restaurant Association Show (NRA) brings together everything you could possibly need for a restaurant, commercial kitchen, and startup. Walking the show you’re sure to get 10,000 steps in for the day, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
During our walk of the nearly 2,500 vendors you could see the clear growth into technology. There’s an entire section now devoted to making restaurants more efficient. From foodservice orders of food packaging and disposables, to front of house ordering systems, there’s a digital solution for everything.
The food packaging sphere at the show has changed a bit. The industry has been transitioning away from polystyrene containers to more recyclable options with a better life cycle story. At Genpak we are working on broadening our microwave safe, reusable containers, as well as our compostable product offerings. With focus on better treatment of the environment all plastics manufacturers are looking to streamline processes to protect Mother Earth. Bamboo and molded fiber had a major presence at the show. Check out our Harvest Fiber containers to learn more about our compostable and biodegradable products. Our Green Room has great information highlighting our processes as well as end of life plans for the containers used in restaurants.