Our Favorite Week of the Year
From May 15-18, the Greenwald Sales & Marketing team returned to McCormick Place in Chicago for the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show—and it was truly a show for the books. With over 2,300+ exhibitors, 53,000 attendees, and 900+ product categories, the show dazzled and certainly served “Big Dish Energy.”
Busy Agendas, Happy Hearts
The team had meetings, dinners, and even packed in a few fun drinks in between. Our team attended the Women in Leadership conference, a MAFSI mixer, a Rep of the Year dinner for TableCraft, more sales meetings, a 30th anniversary party for Cadco, a team dinner at the famous Gene and Georgetti’s, the fabulously floral Le Creuset Happy Hour, and finally, the Eastern Tabletop Rep Awards Dinner in Skokie, IL. Our team had a fabulous time getting to spend time together and sharing espresso martini’s.
New Faces, Same Places
We were thrilled to have a new team member join us this year for their very first show: Kelly Kure. Kelly ran into multiple industry friends and worked the show like a pro with her 20+ years of experience. Kelly was an exciting addition to bring new perspectives and a fun personality to the Greenwald Sales & Marketing Team.
Product Highlights That Stole the Show
Barfly
Barfly’s latest launch covered everything on the bar and behind it. Crafted for performance and luxury barware pieces, Barfly certainly stands out. Releasing two full bar collections of fan favorites, Blackout and Venym. Barfly is shaking up traditional barware with weighted shakers in seven finishes, mixology sets, single-serve three-piece shakers, extensions in the diamond lattice shaker selection, and other pivotal pieces of barware accessories.
Cadco
Cadco’s latest product revamp brought back nostalgic vibes with their Classic Bakerlux. Updated and refreshed, the Bakerlux is the first of Cadco’s initiatives to bring back the basics and classics while never compromising or sacrificing quality or excellence in equipment.
CDN
CDN launched a brand-new thermometer at the show, and it’s all we’re talking about right now. The LOT1 is created with operators in mind; crafted so it’s easy to read in low light conditions, this thermometer lets you crank up the heat while keeping things just right.
Churchill
Churchill’s newest spring launch encapsulates summer. Churchill’s big return to displaying at NRA was a splash! With deep blues and sharp designs like Fresco and Cascade. Ripe with textures displayed on Elements Ice or the rustic, yet structured showcase of Emerge and Emerge Melamine, we loved getting to see the new products in person. The features highlighted on their new items boasted of Churchill’s culinary porcelain innovation with ink jet-printed designs and colors so deep you’ll want to dive into them.
Eastern Tabletop
It was a banner year for Eastern Tabletop with their newest product line of outdoor furniture, Kibarro. It’s a stellar expansion of an already impressive product line allowing Eastern to cover indoor and outdoor furnishings with 26 color combinations. Kibarro means beautiful inside and out – just like this collection of new furniture! Another partnership with Eastern is their collaboration with EcoBurner. EcoBurner and Eastern created a state-of-the-art coffee urn that allows operators to control how much heat dissipates throughout service without using traditional heat sources. We saw so much at Eastern that we loved, especially the new Ori Collection of folding banquet tables that offers easy set up and tear down with a stunning look.
Front of the House
Front of the House showcased their brand-new line extension in Gatsby with Bento! Gatsby Bento is a stacking wonder that can be used in any operation. Perfect for poolside, country clubs, rooftop bars, and more. And, with a sleek look, it matches perfectly with Gatsby Drinkware.
Uno, dos, tres, Quatro! The latest and greatest in Front of the House’s product line is a stunning, earth-toned collection focused on stackability, natural colors, and square-shaped bottoms. Coming soon, this line is a showstopping new shape!
Hospitality Brands
Hospitality Brands‘ booth was a shining representation of class, quality, and stackabilty. One of the focal points was their Bold collection, a gorgeous product offering of plastic drinkware that stands the test of time. It may be plastic, but it’s often mistaken for glass. Hospitality Brands also had an exciting new product for in-room trays that are perfect serving tools. We were able to see some of the most stunning glassware that excels in the highest standards.
ITI
ITI’s booth was easy-peasy, orange squeezy to spend time in! Their newest collection, Daybreak, features a retro throwback with an orange rimmed classic plate. We even saw their rustic collection, Provincial Countryside, which reminded us of better times. Foundry capped off their new products’ display, and we loved getting to see ITI’s timeless dinnerware. This launch reminded us of how retro is back – newstalgia is here to stay!
Lion’s Wood Banquet Furniture
Lion’s Wood Banquet Furniture brought their best items to the show. With portable Chesapeake bars with custom laser-cut palm tree cutouts, ice cream carts, and portable induction units that blew our socks off, it was an amazing show for Lion’s Wood and witnessing the product innovation was second to none! Lion’s Wood also brought their latest item, the FlexBar. With its unbelievable portability and collapsibility, it was a must-see at the show!
Mepra
Mepra’s booth completely dazzled us with their flatware displays. Mepra has such expansive collections that cover every aspect of restaurants, from high-end dining to casual. They craft their products with incredible care, and it shows how they display them in their booth. It was so fun to reconnect with our friends and laugh about our recent trip to their factory in Italy!
Mercer
Mercer’s launch was small, but mighty. They filled key gaps in their product line while honing your culinary skills with their impressive items. With BPX curved boning knives, bread knives in their Millennia collection, a utility knife with guard, a rocking pizza blade, and the exciting Millenia pancake turner and cake lifter, Mercer launch definitely impressed us!
TableCraft
TableCraft celebrated their 80th birthday and we celebrated winning Sales Rep Group of the Year. We were blown away by TableCraft’s latest product launch. It was a comprehensive and launch focused on so many different product categories, but we had three favorites. First, Solaire buffet utensils in stainless steel and gold. Second, a crystal-clear drinkware collection called Luma—crafted with Tritan. This collection is reliable for indoor and outdoor service. And third, TableCraft has branched into awesome tabletop offerings with melamine: their Aeris, Flynn, Marvista, and serving collections with extensions of the Terra collection. With so many more items, it’s an incredibly well-rounded product launch that we love.
Ugolini
Ugolini launched their iconic “Icon” drink maker. Innovative and incredible, this machine crushes the competition and offers beverage options for everyone. Ugolini’s beverage offerings span a wide range of drinks and cold beverages, with solutions for every type of operator. We got to catch up with our other Italian friends and reminisce about time spent together in the Italian sun!
Waring
Waring blew us away with their new product launch at the latest NRA show. With the debut of new products such as innovations to their iconic stick blenders (WSB40X), countertop ice crushers (WIC50), a stunning heavy-duty waffle maker (WWHD500), and the showstopper: the Planit Pod, an incredible innovation to propel fermentation into the future. Waring’s Planit Pod was featured in THREE booths this year, including the Natural Foods section and the Kitchen Innovation Awards area, making it an even better show.
Zafferano
Zafferano lit up the show floor with their newest lamps. With fun, exciting shapes like Royal Family, Dondelina, and Carolina, new finishes like antique nickel, and vibrant colors like red or steel blue, Zafferano’s lamps were the talk of the town.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 NRA Show reaffirmed our commitment to staying at the forefront of the foodservice industry. We’re excited to integrate the innovations and insights gained into our offerings and continue serving our partners with excellence.
Cheers for another successful year—and here’s to even bigger things to come!
