What to Expect at the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show

No matter the direction your business is headed, an efficient starting point is the National Restaurant Association Show—at which equipment innovation is a cornerstone.

The 2025 event, slated for May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, is set to include 2,000 exhibitors, roughly a quarter of which will be equipment manufacturers, according to Caitlin Rodgers, senior director of marketing at Informa Connect Foodservice Group.

“What stands out this year is the momentum in key areas like automation, AI integration and labor-optimizing equipment,” Rodgers says. “New technologies like ventless cooking systems, AI-powered food prep, and IoT-connected equipment are no longer fringe—they’re moving into mainstream adoption.”

This year’s event also has:

• An expanded TECH Pavilion featuring “cutting-edge solutions and tools to enhance operations and drive ROI,” notes Rodgers. Here, attendees can explore options like AI-driven inventory management systems, advanced POS platforms, customer engagement tools and more.
• A general education session with Courtney Storer, chef and culinary producer/co-executive producer of FX’s “The Bear,” and Donnie Madia, restaurateur and “The Bear” contributor. Further, sessions on trends, vendor selection, relationship management and more will be available to those with Expo + Education badges.
•  New networking opportunities such as a May 17 meetup in the Kitchen Innovations Showroom and guided show floor tours (registration required). These offerings round out longtime standbys like the Industry Night Out and the Young Professionals Networking Party.

Exhibitors, too, continue to change up the show, with hundreds of newcomers each year and over 900 product categories represented. “This constant influx of new companies ensures that attendees are seeing not just what’s available now—but what’s coming next,” Rodgers says.

National Restaurant Association Show 2025

What: More than 2,000 exhibitors, including over 400 equipment manufacturers are expected to exhibit.
Where: McCormick Place, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Dr., Chicago
When: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 17-Monday, May 19; 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, May 20
For more details, visit nationalrestaurantshow.com.