The National Restaurant Show is held annually in Chicago and draws thousands of restaurant operators looking to evaluate suppliers, reduce operating costs, and modernize their operations. If you're attending in 2026, the sheer scale of the show floor can be overwhelming.
The operators who get the most value from NRA are the ones who walk in with a plan — and that plan should start with the vendors that impact your daily operating costs.
EVALUATE VENDORS THAT IMPACT DAILY COSTS
Not all vendor categories are created equal. The most valuable conversations you'll have at NRA are with suppliers in categories that drive weekly and monthly spend — making them prime targets for cost optimization.
Focus your floor time on suppliers in high-frequency purchasing categories. These are the line items that show up on every invoice, every week — and where even small savings compound fast across locations.
Here are the vendor categories that should be at the top of your walk list:
These are the categories where most operators are overspending — either through inflated national brand pricing, unnecessary distributor markup, or legacy contracts that haven't been re-evaluated in years.
WHY DISPOSABLE FOODSERVICE WIPES ARE GAINING ATTENTION
One of the most visible shifts happening across the foodservice industry in 2025 and 2026 is the move toward disposable sanitation solutions. More operators are reassessing their current systems — and the results are driving a clear trend toward simplicity and consistency.
THE SMARTER APPROACH
Disposable foodservice wipes reduce cross-contamination risk and simplify back-of-house processes. Every wipe starts clean, gets used once, and is removed from the environment — creating a predictable, standardized sanitation process across every location.
Suppliers like SMPLY are showcasing disposable foodservice wipes at NRA 2026 designed specifically for high-volume commercial kitchens.
If you're attending the show, this is a conversation worth having. The operators making this switch aren't doing it for the trend — they're doing it because the math and the hygiene case both point the same direction.
MEET SMPLY AT NRA 2026
We're bringing disposable foodservice wipes, commercial paper products, and solutions built for kitchens that never stop. Come see why 35,000+ locations trust SMPLY.