May 18-21st was a big weekend for Greenwald Sales and Marketing! We made the annual trek to Chicago with our team to attend the National Restaurant Show (NRA) where we visited with old and new friends, previewed newly launched products, and bonded with our industry partners. We dined our way through the city to see what Chicago had to offer!
We had two new first-time attendees for the show: Hailey Ware, Marketing and Design Coordinator, and Sara York, Sales Operations Specialist. They loved attending the show and getting to know more about our incredible industry.
Catch our hottest takes below:
Consider Me, XPress-ed!
Waring was honored with a Kitchen Innovations award for their most recent, and very popular product: WSC300, the XPress Multipurpose Cooktop. This 13.5” multipurpose dual-sided cooktop allows operators to make everything from quesadillas, omelets, cheese crips, tortillas, to crepes in minutes, ensuring a perfectly cooked product, every time! “Just set time and temperature for perfect results” (Waring Commercial).
The XPress was featured in the Waring booth as well as the Kitchen Innovations area of the show, allowing people to get dual exposure of this incredible product. It was so cool to see the XPress get some love!
New Products, Endless Possibilities!
We were ah-May-zed by all the new products displayed by our incredible manufacturer partners!
Arc Cardinal debuted brand new items: dinnerware from Santa Anita, Dudson, and Maria Portugal Terracotta. Ripe with earthy colors, these new items are going to be showstoppers on your table! In addition to their dinnerware dazzlers, we were introduced to some stunning and fabulous glassware pieces that will be sure to astound your customers with their beauty. Arc Cardinal also shared their new flatware and displayware items from Abert, rounding out their already expansive collections with additional pieces that really create the “pièce de résistance!”
Eastern Tabletop showcased their BRAND-NEW products that “will transform your events” (Eastern). The Treasure Trove, a versatile new addition to mobile service and storage. The Out-of-the-Box unit, that coincides with the HUB system, allows operators to have additional storage add-ons. The Event Buggy: a fun way to add a touch of jazz to your events. Lighted Levels, a way to level up your lighting display. The CURVED HUB, takes your traditional HUB and adds some sleek, curved edges. And finally, the All-in-One REVO collection: allowing operators to integrate multi-featured chafing units into service!
Tablecraft launched some incredible new items at the show. Ranging from black melamine serveware to patina-ed frothing cups, herb scissors and ice cream scoops in the PerfectGrip collection, seafood towers in multiple finishes and kettle soup warmers! This launch has something for everyone.
Mercer/Barfly wowed show attendees with their awesome new items! Mercer launched new cutlery extensions in the BPX and Millenia collections and showcased their new seafood and double-handled cheese knife! The other showstoppers were felt-lined knife covers, traditional steels, Y-angled peelers, and new styles of hats! Hats off to Mercer for their new products! Barfly by Mercer launched a chic new design, Diamond Lattice, in a variety of finishes to dress up the bar presentation. In addition, the new antique gold finish gives a worn look, perfect for modern bar vibes.
Front of the House is looking pretty in pink with their new collection, Mezze. Boasting three different colors: cinnamon, guava, and sesame, Mezze was certainly a hit! This new offering from Front of the House ushers in a rarely seen color palette, desert hues to wipe away the ceramic white blues!
New Lines, Doin’ Fine!
While at the show, our team was also able to get some in-person training with some new product lines! Mercer/Barfly, Le Creuset, Lionswood Banquet Furniture, and Ugolini were in attendance. Being able to spend time with our new manufacturer partners is so important to our success as a team and as a representative for the respective companies. Having time to dive deeper into new products gives our team members the keys to success.
Tick-Tock, It’s Team O’clock!
We dined, we drank, and we delighted in the time spent together as a team. With over 250,000 steps clocked in our Jordan’s, we walked a combined total of 118 miles throughout the weekend! We were able to chat and visit with old and new industry friends, that feel more like family as the years go on. Looking forward to the 2025 show to do the same thing, all over again!
