A couple of weeks ago I headed down to the Enercare Centre in Toronto for the annual Restaurants Canada Show which was held from February 28th to March 1st. I really didn’t know what to expect since it was my first time at the show, but I quickly realized that this one was different from others I’ve attended. Instead of focus being on restaurants, their chefs and their food, this show is all about the suppliers to the restaurants. Suppliers of products, suppliers of furnishings and suppliers of the equipment that help make restaurants successful.
The show itself wasn’t wall to wall suppliers though. Not being in the restaurant industry myself, you’d think that I wouldn’t find much to entertain me but you would be wrong! There were seminars, competitions, big announcements, and, of course, samples. Lots and lots of samples that ranged from hand-cut ham to cheese to wines and spirits.
Here are some of the highlights from the show:
Seminars
Seminars were held throughout the three days of the show and they were all hosted by many of today’s industry leaders discussing topics such as new and emerging trends. One of the more interesting ones that I was able to catch was hosted by Sean Beckinham of Branding and Buzzing. This seminar featured a panel that included Cameron Gordon, Senior Communications Manager at Twitter, Cindy La, the Social Media Specialist at Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants and Jonny O’Callaghan, the Chef d’Cuisine at Maple Leaf Tavern. I use social media a lot but my use is from customer’s point of view. This interesting discussion was from the novel point of view of the people involved in the restaurant industry and how they use it to help draw customers in, and help the customer tell their stories about their experiences.
Sean Beckinhan and his panel discussing Social Media in the industry
Competitions
During the show there were different competitions but I thought the two most popular were the Latte Art Challenge, where baristas could wow the judges with their artistic skills using just coffee and steamed milk, and the Top Shelf Bartending competition where bartenders from around the world competed for the $25,000 prize and the title of Top Shelf Bartender of the Year.
Pavilions
Pavilions were areas set up where all the suppliers/exhibitors shared a common theme. There was the pizza pavilion which was dedicated to the art and science of pizza. The exhibitors there all showed off the products that a pizza restaurant would need to improve their business.
The Coffee and Tea pavilion showcased coffee roasters and tea experts where one could learn about the complexities of flavours and presentation, proper use of equipment, and how incorporating tea cocktails and delicious pastry into your business could add extra income to the bottom line.
New this year was the Tech Pavilion. Restaurateurs are discovering that tech can play a big part in improving their lives, and also in the way the customer interacts with their businesses. The Tech Pavilion featured companies like Constant Contact who showcased their marketing tool, Smooth Pay and their mobile payments app, Full Pint with their scheduling software called “On The Floor”, and Second Waiter whose app offers nutritional information to diners who want to make health-conscious decisions.
Canada’s 100 Best
I think one of the biggest highlight of the show was when Canada’s 100 Best magazine revealed the 2016 list of the Top 100 restaurants in Canada. This year the top spot went to Toqué! from Montreal. Yes I’m biased, so I was very proud to see Toronto take six of the Top 10 spots. You can see the full list here.
There’s so much more that went down at this show, and if I continued to write I might put you to sleep, but if you’re thinking of getting into the restaurant industry, or even if you’re currently running a restaurant, this show is a must-attend. All the experience and knowledge in one place, all the latest gadgets, new trends and the tools to give your customer the best experience they can have.
1 comment
Thanks for the great profile, Davindra! We’re happy that the show went so well and look forward to developing the Tech pavilion even more next year!