Overlooking the Show at NRA 2017

The National Restaurant Association’s Hotel-Motel Show (NRA) is held annually in May, at McCormick Place in Chicago. While the purpose of the show is to offer “everything you need to run a successful restaurant under one roof,” Houston’s uses the show as an opportunity to meet with some of our vendors and discuss new products, customer opportunities, or challenges that our sales teams face while representing the vendor’s products. This is also a chance for us to explore items and vendors that would be completely new to Houston’s, and would benefit from the services we offer not only to them, but their customers as well.

First-time attendees, Amanda Hackathorn and Jennifer Vigil, were given the opportunity to meet with many of our vendors face-to-face for the first time, further establishing the great relationships we strive to build with all of our vendors.  Notable stops at this year’s show included San Jamar to discuss Escali scales opportunities with Kelly Walsch, as well as visits with Thunder Group (Johnny Huang), Urnex Brands (Don Eggebraten and Maria Cleveland), and the mother-daughter team (Jan Murtagh & Shaun DiGruccio) from CDN.

Libbey Renewal Etched Glass

When at NRA, it is always necessary to visit with our friends and partners at Libbey Foodservice, where they showed off Libbey’s new Master’s Reserve Renewal collection, featuring an elegant etched design. Also featured were Libbey’s Hydration line and the Scandinavian-inspired Viva Tea Service collection, among many others.

Each year, the show represents the many major technological advancements in both products and services that aid in solving common challenges faced by real world operators. This year was no different, as the sold-out exhibit floor featured on-trend culinary offerings, sustainability options, and the latest technology.

Mixologist, Al Klopper, from iSi North America, Inc. was on hand serving a variety of infused beverages made using iSi’s Gourmet Whip Plus Dispenser and the new professional chargers, including a to-die-for cold brew coffee topped with cinnamon-infused coconut water foam.

Claire Klein, Regional Sales Manager, was showcasing Numi Organic Tea’s new Holistic Herbal Teasans that “inspire a unity of mind, body and spirit,” through the blending of functional herbs from around the world, that help elevate a person’s mood and contribute to their overall inner wellness.

This year’s show was the largest ever, with over 66,000 attendees and a sold-out exhibit floor, which encompasses three exhibition halls within McCormick Place. “NRA was pretty amazing. The size, the scope of the items on display, and level of vendor interaction was pretty incredible,” says Jennifer of her first trip to NRA.

Team Houston’s at the top of Willis Tower

The four-day show isn’t all serious business. Our team has made a tradition of visiting Skydeck Chicago at the top Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) to get a team picture of those who attended NRA each year. This isn’t an ordinary group picture, as the team steps out into glass boxes that extend out over 4-feet from the side of Willis Tower, giving a perfect view of the street 1,353 feet below. Much like the NRA show, the Skydeck is not for the faint-of-heart.

The importance that we place upon maintaining strong vendor partnerships is just one aspect of what sets Houston’s apart from our competition. We look forward to the NRA Show in 2018, and continuing to grow these relationships.

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