National Restaurant Association Show 2027 Guide
By Ilyas Kerbal,
The National Restaurant Association Show 2027 runs from 22 to 25 May at McCormick Place in Chicago. It is the largest foodservice event in the Americas, with roughly 2,000 exhibitors and 58,000 attendees, from independent restaurant owners to purchasing teams at the largest chains.
Equipment, food and beverage, packaging and a growing amount of restaurant technology share the floor. This guide covers dates, badge prices and the audience, plus how to find the multi-unit operators worth your time.
National Restaurant Association Show 2027 at a glance
| Next edition | 22-25 May 2027 |
| Venue | McCormick Place |
| City | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Typical month | May |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Attendance | ~58,000 attendees |
| Exhibitors | ~2,000 exhibitors |
| Industry | Foodservice & hospitality |
| Organizer | National Restaurant Association |
| Official website | nationalrestaurantshow.com |
What is the Restaurant Show?
The Restaurant Show is where operators from independent restaurants to the largest chains come to source equipment, ingredients, beverages and technology. Exhibitors range from kitchen-equipment giants to restaurant POS, delivery, robotics and AI start-ups.
Education includes operator-led classroom sessions, culinary demos, bootcamps and keynote talks, plus the Kitchen Innovations and FABI awards.
Location and venue
McCormick Place, Chicago (North, South and Lakeside halls).
Does it change location? No. Chicago every May.
Commercial kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash.
Who attends the Restaurant Show?
- Restaurant owners and operators
- Multi-unit chain executives and purchasing teams
- Chefs and culinary leaders
- Foodservice distributors and dealers
- Hotel, catering, university and healthcare foodservice
- Investors and franchise developers
The crowd is large and mixed. That is great for brand awareness, but for pipeline you need to know in advance which companies and roles to prioritise.
Want to know who will be at the Restaurant Show before you book a single meeting? Prospector pulls attendee, exhibitor and speaker data from the event app and website, cleans it and sends it to you ready for HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive. Get in touch for the the Restaurant Show list
Industries and niches covered
- Commercial kitchen equipment
- Food and beverage products (incl. alcohol at the co-located BAR program)
- Restaurant technology: POS, ordering, delivery, labor, AI
- Packaging and sustainability
- Robotics and automation
- Design and furniture
The sales opportunity at the Restaurant Show
Restaurant technology has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the show. POS, ordering, delivery, labor management and AI vendors all compete for the same operators, and many of those operators are overwhelmed by pitches.
The highest-value attendees are multi-unit operators, chain executives and foodservice directors, because a single deal can cover dozens or hundreds of locations. Knowing which chains and groups are registered helps you focus on those accounts instead of independents with one location.
Is the Restaurant Show right for your team?
Go if you sell into foodservice and want face time with operators, dealers or distributors you can’t easily reach online. The show is excellent for relationships and market intelligence.
Think twice if you need senior corporate buyers only. Many the Restaurant Show visitors are hands-on operators, so plan for filtering and don’t judge success purely by badge scans.
How much does the Restaurant Show cost?
| Option | Price / details |
|---|---|
| Expo badge | $125 (early bird, Oct-Dec 2026) → $175 → $225 → $299 onsite |
| Essential (adds 30 classroom sessions) | $385-$535 |
| Premium | $699-$750 |
| Also good to know | Free Expo badges for NRA restaurant member companies |
| Non-exhibiting suppliers | $1,000 Expo badge |
| Typical cost | $125-299 for the expo; $385-750 with education. |
Prices change between editions and by registration date, so treat these as a guide and check nationalrestaurantshow.com before you buy.
Event app and digital platform
The show publishes an official mobile app each year for exhibitor search, floor plans and schedules (check the site closer to May).
From a sales point of view, the app’s main limitation is access. You see the people who chose to be visible, you can’t pull them into your CRM, and once the event ends the data usually disappears with it.
Is the Restaurant Show worth it?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unique concentration of foodservice operators | Very large and crowded |
| Restaurant tech is a fast-growing part of the show | Many small independents with limited budgets |
| Cheap expo badges | Non-exhibiting suppliers pay a premium ($1,000) and may not sell on the floor |
| Strong chain and multi-unit decision-maker attendance | Chicago hotel costs in May |
Getting meetings at the Restaurant Show
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 2 months out | Decide who you want to meet: target roles, industries, company size. Then get the list of who is actually registered. |
| 1 month out | Run a short outreach sequence (three to four touches) that leads with the event and a clear meeting ask. |
| Final week | Send reminders, share your booth number or meeting spot, and prepare one-page briefs on your top accounts. |
| After the event | Send personalised follow-ups within 72 hours and tag every lead with the event name in your CRM. |
Non-exhibiting suppliers pay $1,000 for a badge and may not sell on the floor. If you are not exhibiting, plan meetings off the floor in nearby hotels or restaurants.
Already exhibiting at several shows this year? I can track the same buyers across events so nobody falls through the cracks. Talk to me about the Restaurant Show and your other shows.
Frequently asked questions
When is National Restaurant Association Show 2027?
22-25 May 2027. Dates can shift, so confirm on the official website (nationalrestaurantshow.com) before booking travel.
Where is the Restaurant Show held?
McCormick Place, Chicago (North, South and Lakeside halls).
Does it move? No. Chicago every May.
How much does a the Restaurant Show ticket cost?
$125-299 for the expo; $385-750 with education. See the pricing table above for pass types.
Who attends the Restaurant Show?
Mainly restaurant owners and operators; multi-unit chain executives and purchasing teams; chefs and culinary leaders; foodservice distributors and dealers.
Can I get the the Restaurant Show attendee list?
Event organisers rarely sell attendee lists. Prospector builds one for you from the event app and website: attendees, exhibitors and speakers, enriched with job title, company, company size, industry, LinkedIn profile and work email where available, delivered as a CRM-ready file before the event. Ask about the Restaurant Show here.
Get the the Restaurant Show attendee list
If the Restaurant Show is on your calendar, the best time to build your target list is now, while there is still time to book meetings. Contact me on Prospector with the event, your target roles and your CRM, and I’ll tell you what I can deliver and how fast.
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- Natural Products Expo West 2027: Dates, Badges & Buyers
Photo credits
- Cover image: Photo by Pylyp Sukhenko on Unsplash
- In-article image: Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash
Sources
- Official website: nationalrestaurantshow.com
- National Restaurant Association Show - Registration
- National Restaurant Association Show - Attendee FAQs
Event details were last checked in October 2026. Dates, venues and prices can change, so confirm them on the official event website.