Benefit from restaurant shows + California Restaurant Show

It’s easy to get stuck in routines in the restaurant world. Plenty of resources are available online that enable us to keep working on remote islands. Sometimes, it’s worth pushing yourself to get out, explore, meet people, get different perspectives, and promote what you’re doing. Putting yourself out there is bound to benefit your business in different ways. That’s why I attend 3-4 restaurant shows per year with FIXE. We were at the Bar & Restaurant Expo in Las Vegas in March, appeared with Ottimate at the mammoth National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May, just participated in the California Restaurant Show in Los Angeles, and will be at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference (RFDC) from November 11-13 in Las Vegas.

I attended the California Restaurant Show from August 25-27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Almost 5,000 people were on the floor in South Hall H. By contrast, nearly 60,000 people attended the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. The scale isn’t nearly the same, but we got snippets of each element of the industry in Los Angeles: packaging, food, small wares, and technology. 

It’s always good to touch and feel and ask questions directly with distributors, as opposed to reading about different products in a magazine or online. Especially if you’re looking at different POS systems. I saw a lot of them at the California Restaurant Show.

The equipment offering was limited, but there was a smattering of ancillary services like tip software, scheduling software, HR software and accounting software. Not every option was there, by any means, but it’s a good show to attend. At our booth, we met a lot of people who were thinking of opening up a restaurant. First time operators can start to get the lay of the land for different products and services that are out there and existing restaurateurs can get current.

If you have a fast casual restaurant and want to get an idea of different food packaging options, there are a number of choices. You can walk around and see different companies that sell paper goods. It’s not like these companies advertise on billboards. How do I get my logo on a bag? You can definitely come to the California Restaurant Show and answer that question.

The California Restaurant Show is obviously localized, but there can be advantages to a local restaurant show. If you go to Chicago, you may see something you want, but they’re not going to give it to you directly. I’d have to find a distributor in L.A. to buy that product. Actual distributors are at the California Restaurant Show. 

I saw a lot of AI related tools, though I’m not convinced they’re truly AI. I’m surprisingly still seeing a handful of plant-based foods. I thought I would see less and less, but there was still an element of it there. Plant-based food to me is an item on a menu. It’s not a concept altogether.

I love seeing new technologies, whether they’re competitors or not. Just understanding what else is out there is a valuable reason for industry operators to attend restaurant shows.

GOALS FOR HOSTING BOOTHS AT RESTAURANT SHOWS

Since FIXE has run booths at 6 restaurant shows in the past 2 years and I’ve seen what shows have to offer participants and attendees, the benefits and best approach have become clear.

• Brand awareness is very important. It makes me feel good when someone comes up to our booth – they’re not a client of ours – and say, “I’ve heard of you guys.” As opposed to someone saying, “Are you guys new?”
• Obviously, you want to try to get some leads out of it. You hope you close some clients. 
• You hope you see some of your own clients, and then listen to their pain points or the stuff that’s working well. It’s really nice seeing clients face to face because the whole business is remote. I got to see a few at the California Restaurant Show. 
• Seeing a lot of your vendors and software partners face to face is also helpful. It’s the same group of people. You see each other a couple times a year at these shows. Every other time it’s just over Zoom or Google Meet.

BOOTH PRESENTATION TIPS

• Presentation is important for your brand at restaurant shows. A minimal amount of words with a couple images is more than enough. Also, be very clear with your words. 
• If you’re trying to sell something, be upfront with your pricing. With almost everyone at the California Restaurant Show, I had to ask about the pricing. I want to take the opposite approach. We’re very upfront and very transparent at FIXE.