Instore - July 2018 - 26

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concert, the association demonstrated its
commitment to perpetual evolution."
Several corners of the country and globe saw
better representation at this year's show, says
Mary Pat Heftman, the association's executive
vice president.
Growth included a 16 percent increase in the
number of attendees from Mexico, 15 percent
increase from Brazil and 19 percent from
Australia, Heftman says. Growth also came
from all corners of the U.S., including 6 percent
growth from Texas, 4 percent from New
York, 5 percent from Florida, 2 percent from
California and a huge 17 percent jump from
Massachusetts.
"That growth is a clear result of the quality
we deliver year after year -the quality of the
content, the quality of the exhibitors and the
quality of attendees -that all contribute to
solutions and ideas that move their business
ahead," Heftman says.
Mirroring the increase in geographical
diversity among the show's attendees, NRA
'18 offered several new international exhibits
this year. Twenty-four international pavilions
graced the show floor, with new exhibits from
Japan, France, Thailand, Scotland, Spain and
Greece. Returning country-specific exhibits
included China, Germany, Ecuador and Italy's
Bellavita Pavilion.
"No other show delivers such a diverse set of
products and exhibitors," says Heftman.

Labor, technology
approach convergence
In a joint presentation at NRA '18, "Key Trends
Shaping the Future of Foodservice," Adam
Hasley, director of Advocacy, Research and
Insights for NRA, and Hudson Riehle, senior
vice president of the association's Research
& Knowledge Group, discussed highlights
from the group's annual Industry Outlook and
What's Hot Chef Survey and other research.
26 * JULY 2018 * instore

Chef Leo Spizzirri demonstrated dessert pizza production using a Forno Bravo oven at the 2018
show. Chicago native Spizzirri is a certified pizzaiolo, artisan breadmaker and resident dough
specialist at Elk Grove, Illinois-based Little Lady Foods.

On one hand, Hasley said, the foodservice
industry is a formidable giant, with $799
billion in sales in 2017 generated from more
than 1 million locations. Foodservice used
to account for about a quarter of every food
dollar spent by American consumers. It's now
closing in on half of all spending.

it their top challenge and another 20 percent
listing it as one of their top challenges.

On the other hand, he told attendees, the
amount Americans spend on food is down
as a percentage of their total expenditures,
making foodservice "a larger share of a
shrinking piece of the pie."

Robot delivery, and robots replacing food
carts on big city streets, for example, are two
likelihoods in the not-too-distant future,
Hasley said.

Relatively flat sales and a shrinking piece of
the pie of aren't the only things U.S. foodservice operators need to worry about. Labor
concerns remain top of mind in 2018, Hasley
said, with 39 percent of all operators calling

With that in mind, expect much of the innovation in foodservice to continue to be directed
toward lowering labor costs and liabilities,
both Hasley and Riehle said.

The vectors are impossible to ignore, Riehle
said: technology is constantly getting
cheaper, and labor is getting more expensive.
"Eventually they will converge," he said. And
"technology" doesn't necessarily, or even
usually, mean something as high-tech as

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Instore - July 2018