This week, I attended my first National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, featuring over 2k vendors and 50k+ attendees. In between hot dog roller grills, “tater kegs,” mist systems, and “paper straws that don’t suck,” I sat down with food technologists helping to shape the future of the restaurant industry. After clocking 40k steps over two days, I identified four major trends detailed below: disruption within restaurant procurement, POS/kiosks doubling down on fintech, the commoditization of automation and AI, and sustainability in the form of alt protein, beverage dispensers, and food waste reduction. Not to mention, the trend of booths like Square and Toast furnishing themselves as literal “cafes” and “kitchens” cooking up merch in lieu of actual food.