NRA Show 2026: What to Expect at “The Show”

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Unknown Speaker (1:57): It's the national restaurant show preview episode and joining us today are two people who live and breathe this industry from very different angles. Let's welcome to the show. Lisa Maliko, senior vice president, National Restaurant Show. The woman who builds a city at the show every year will jump into that and David Hankies. Wait a minute.

Unknown Speaker (2:23): Did I get that wrong? Hank is Cliff

Unknown Speaker (2:26): Hank is

Unknown Speaker (2:26): close enough. You know why you may be crazy nervous. It's Hank is David Hank is the principal and vice president at Technomic, the man who has the data, the pulse on what's actually happening out there, and I gotta tell you, it's unbelievable. We can't be more excited to welcome this team to the show. Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Lisa and David to the hospitality hangout in this very, very special national restaurant show and welcome to the show, Lisa.

Unknown Speaker (2:56): Let's jump into it with you first. If I may, you grew up in a very small suburb. Absolutely Michigan and your first job was a busser age 15 at the Berkeley, Michigan restaurant. So you are a true hospitality hustler starting as a busser. Am I right?

Lisa Maliko (3:18): That's right. You are right. I rode my bike every day in the summer to the restaurant.

Unknown Speaker (3:23): And wait, let me ask you this. The average customer as Berkeley Michigan restaurant was 82.

Unknown Speaker (3:31): Well I mean, in my mind, I don't know. Got it.

Unknown Speaker (3:33): Got it. It's like how my kids think of me. They they look at me as I'm an I'm very old. I I get it. I got it.

Unknown Speaker (3:39): And

Lisa Maliko (3:40): Yeah. No. But I think the, you know, the big, you know, height of the dinner service was, I believe, around 04:30 in the afternoon. So I believe that it

Unknown Speaker (3:49): does give you a and time frame. And Smith at Buckland. What's Smith Buckland? That was your first job out of college.

Lisa Maliko (3:57): Yeah. So Smith Buckland is the world's largest association management company so that if, just like anything, there's an you know, trade shows for anything, events for anything. There are associations for every industry you could possibly think of, and those associations have to be run by somebody. So I ran trade shows for the International Car Wash Association, the Monument Builders of North America. That's, all gravestones and mausoleums.

Lisa Maliko (4:25): So, you know, really, trade show for whatever you can think of was, you know, where I got my start in trade shows. Let's turn to

Unknown Speaker (4:32): David now. Let's bring in David first job. First job. David was a paperboy age 11. We don't care about that.

Unknown Speaker (4:39): We don't care about what we do care about. At age 15. You started working at McDonald's. Very first job. We'll say that was

Unknown Speaker (4:48): your first

Unknown Speaker (4:49): real job because I feel like anything before I feel like before 15 doesn't count because I feel like that's not like I don't know. I feel like it's like I don't know. Is it legal to work until you're 15 or something like that? No, it's weird stuff, right?

David Hankies (5:01): Well, up in Wisconsin it is. And you know, that was it was an important job because it taught me how to get up early to collect money, to deliver the calendars at the end of the year. But you're right, McDonald's was the first place where I was really earning a true paycheck And I've been really in hospitality ever, ever since then, you know, obviously in different sides of it now. But I learned very early the importance and of restaurants and food service and what it takes to be successful.

Unknown Speaker (5:28): So how long did you work at McDonald's?

David Hankies (5:31): So I did it throughout high school and then my first year of college when I came back, I worked at the same McDonald's. So really through probably the end of my freshman year in college, and then I moved into a couple other jobs. But I was also working hospitality and in college. And so even as I transitioned out of McDonald's, I continued to work at college. But no, I was there for I don't know.

David Hankies (5:55): Let's call it five years.

Unknown Speaker (5:57): So the two of you are both hustlers. You started in hospitality and now in different areas, but you basically run the biggest Restaurant show. We call it the show, right? The big show the show You run the biggest event. I know it's it's the biggest in the country.

Unknown Speaker (6:15): Lisa, you've been there for a long time without dating you too much. How long have you been running the show?

Lisa Maliko (6:25): Yeah. So you can date you can date me. It's alright. It's, reading on the show, but the, I this will be my seventeenth National Restaurant Association show. So I started in 2008, and it's, yeah, it's my favorite.

Lisa Maliko (6:40): So we just to clarify, we say it's the largest show in the Western Hemisphere.

Unknown Speaker (6:43): Exaggerate a

Unknown Speaker (6:44): lot, you know, perfectly. Let me ask

Unknown Speaker (6:45): you something.

Unknown Speaker (6:46): So this is good question, but I've

Unknown Speaker (6:47): been there a bunch of times. How old how old is this show? How many years has this been going on?

Unknown Speaker (6:52): This will be the one hundred and fifth

Unknown Speaker (6:55): in out of the one

Unknown Speaker (6:56): hundred and

Unknown Speaker (6:56): five years. You've been there seventeen of those one hundred and five. So it's a long time.

Unknown Speaker (7:00): Of them, which, you know, in retrospect, that doesn't seem like that many, percentage wise, but it is a heck of a lot.

Unknown Speaker (7:07): Each time you run this show, I mean, as soon as you're done, and it's always if I remember correctly, it's always the weekend before Memorial Day, right? That's always been. That's correct. Always been before Memorial Day. And I mean, when you run this show, I mean, the day it ends.

Unknown Speaker (7:25): I don't know what ends on Tuesday, Wednesday of that week or something like that. I would imagine it's you start planning next year's show.

Lisa Maliko (7:34): Yeah. Well, even beforehand. So we've got plans in place already for 2027. Really, 2028 and '29 as well. But the real work does as you say, get get going the day after, but it's, You know, we get

Unknown Speaker (7:50): a little bit of a break. I've been over the McCormick center. I think if I'm not mistaken, it's either the number one or number two largest convention space in the country. Maybe Vegas. I think they put an addition on.

Unknown Speaker (8:02): Maybe it's a little bigger. Don't know, but it's but it's big. I mean, it's like it's literally

Lisa Maliko (8:06): a creek. Yep.

Unknown Speaker (8:08): It's a city over there. I mean, you really can't do. You can't get the whole show in a day, not even in two days. How many days does the show actually officially run?

Lisa Maliko (8:21): It's four days long. Most people are there two point five days. On average. We like to say that it really, you know, really should be there about two and a half to three days if you, you know, wanna make your most time out of it. You you know, some people try to do it in day, and it's just too big.

Lisa Maliko (8:43): The show itself is 12 football fields worth of exhibit And if you think about that, I mean, just trying to walk that and not to talk to anybody takes a long time. So if you're gonna actually talk to people and block 12 football fields,

Unknown Speaker (8:56): it's a little hard to do. I've tried to get to most of the show it is. I think I kind of compared to maybe like like CES in Las Vegas. You know, it's just it's just so massive. So let's just for those who don't know the little background.

Unknown Speaker (9:12): The national restaurant show the show the big show is run by, Informa, right? And that is this giant media company, that runs lots and lots of different media assets, right? And so one of them is they run this big show, and then they also have techno, which is this crazy data company. Give me a little bit of that technomic and how you engage or interact with the show. I mean, do we need you there?

Unknown Speaker (9:41): I mean, you know, it sounds to me like Lisa's really doing all the heavy lifting. What are you doing there? Well oh, you do. Know, we

Unknown Speaker (9:48): need them.

David Hankies (9:49): Listen, there's no question that Lisa and her team are doing the heavy lifting in terms of putting the show on. Just by way of background, Technomic is a research and consulting company. We've been around since 1966. '66. We've been doing this.

Unknown Speaker (10:04): Yeah, so it's sixty sixty years

Unknown Speaker (10:05): sixty years

David Hankies (10:06): sixty years. Sixty sixty years and I've been doing this for thirty. So I started here. I've I've been with Technomic just about half the lifespan of

Unknown Speaker (10:15): the so you're into all the like getting all the data from all of the restaurants. Am I right?

David Hankies (10:24): Yeah, we collect data from restaurants like consumers. Well, we track 1,500 chains. We just released actually all of that data on our platform. And so we're also gathering several 100,000 menus. We do hundreds of thousands of consumer surveys every year.

David Hankies (10:43): We do proprietary research for clients as well. And so there's just ongoing data and research that's happening every day here at Technomic, and that keeps us up to date on what's what's happening in

Unknown Speaker (10:53): the industry. For you. And I'll ask it to Lisa also because I think it's both Everyone today is just it's a I this AI that a I have an AI company. I need my kid AI. I mean, everything is just AI AI AI, right?

Unknown Speaker (11:08): So I mean, you guys have been around since 1966, you said. I guess you were probably using a pad and I don't know what's that thing called the that you instead of a calculator abacus abacus like a slide rule back in 1966. Like I think McDonald's sold 500 hamburgers, you know, who the hell knows what you guys were doing. But now you got AI. So how has that affected what you're doing and are your clients now asking you for different data?

Unknown Speaker (11:37): Are you aggregating new data? Are you just smarter now? It's better. Like just tell me a little about that.

David Hankies (11:43): Well, yeah, I would say AI is a big investment for Informa as our organization, but Technomic has really leaned into it because you're right. You can go to any AI engine chatbot, whatever and type in things and you get all sorts of data whether it's right or not. And so what we've really done is on our what we call our Ignite platform, which is where all of our data is housed. We've incorporated AI. So you can now ask questions in a very conversational way.

David Hankies (12:11): And what it does is within that infrastructure and it's a closed loop system, all of our data is now accessible. So you can, you know, look at fast growing chains and historically what's happening and what are the menu trends. And it will give you output and it'll give you sort of recommendations if you're a supplier trying to figure out how to target raising canes. It'll give you, you know, some strategies based on all of our data. And so we are really leaning into it.

David Hankies (12:37): And the good news is we've got a lot of data that makes us smarter than anyone else. And so that data coupled with a I really creates a very powerful tool for us that just isn't available.

Unknown Speaker (12:49): I go to Claude or Chad or, you know, whatever, you know, Gemini, whatever you're you're using out there. I mean, that's basically for lack of better word. It's whatever data is kind of, let's say publicly available, so to speak, and there's tons of it, right?

David Hankies (13:03): Exactly

Unknown Speaker (13:04): But yours you have clients that are basically saying Here's our data. I'm allowing you in to see it, so it's more robust. And now you're taking all that data, and now you're running it through your So your clients are it's just getting more robust data, right?

David Hankies (13:25): Yeah. No, that's absolutely right. It is just a way to unlock we have. We have so much data in our platform right now that you could never read all of the reports. And so what it allows you to do is ask very specific questions about whatever your business needs are, and it spits out the answer.

David Hankies (13:40): And so A. I. Is a game changer. Doesn't necessarily change. We you do use it for research in terms of doing some analysis and trend and, you know, things like that.

David Hankies (13:49): But really what it changes is how clients interact with us and are able to access a lot more of our data in a lot more quick, timely way than perhaps they were able to even do even a year ago.

Unknown Speaker (14:00): So then, Lisa, let me ask you this. Does I mean your business is more It's a It's a show. It's a It's an event. It's a giant party for lack of a better word with a lot of business, you know, going on and then networking and transactions and tasting and demoing, but it's a giant party in the food service space. That's what it is to me.

Unknown Speaker (14:19): Giant party. Are you guys leveraging any AI or like, Well, you know, we do, but not really. I mean, still, I mean, at the end of the day is that or is it what? Where do you have? Where is it fit for you?

Lisa Maliko (14:31): Yeah. So we use AI in a few different ways. I mean, certainly as a event organizer, we use AI in our space to make planning the event a lot more operationally efficient and helping our exhibitors and customers, get what they need. But, you know, our customers at the event are gonna see AI in a few different ways. You know, not only are you gonna see it all over the trade show floor, but, our own tools that we have available for the show, like our show app has a whole new AI feature.

Lisa Maliko (15:03): There's a chat section called MENA this year that's Wait.

Unknown Speaker (15:07): What's the app? How do I get

Lisa Maliko (15:08): app that's gonna make it a the app, it will launch next week, so you can't get it quite as of today. Well, it probably

Unknown Speaker (15:15): wouldn't be, like, podcast. Sometimes podcast drops. National restaurant.

Lisa Maliko (15:18): You'll be able to get it. National restaurant show. Also, if you register for the show, you'll get a direct link to it on

Unknown Speaker (15:26): your computer whenever you register

Lisa Maliko (15:27): your badge as well. And it will wait.

Unknown Speaker (15:29): Like, I got you on my register?

Unknown Speaker (15:30): And if

Unknown Speaker (15:30): I haven't registered yet, Is it too late to register?

Lisa Maliko (15:35): No, no, you can register all the way up until you get to the show.com. Mccormickplacenationalrestaurantshow.com.

Unknown Speaker (15:42): Once you register and it's very, it's very reasonably priced. If I'm not mistaken, isn't it? Like, mean, I know you have early bird special, but basically

Lisa Maliko (15:52): early bird specials and there's a code, you know, so you know that you can use with your podcast and everything. Wow. It's a little bit it's less than it's less than $2.50.

Unknown Speaker (16:05): $200.

Unknown Speaker (16:06): Think it's about $19,200. Right now. It's about $200.

Unknown Speaker (16:10): I think it's the best deal in town. It's the best deal in town.

Lisa Maliko (16:13): Oh, yeah. I mean, you get all the education sessions that are on our show floor, access to two twenty two hundred exhibitors, and then a bunch of opportunities to enhance your experience as well. And one of those is an AI workshop. So if you're one of the people that really have very elementary use of AI today, right, if all you do is ask your, you know, chat, hey, like, different questions just for fun, you know, and you don't really know how to use it, we've got an AI workshop that is really for you. Right?

Unknown Speaker (16:43): Sign up. And really kind of how do I start

Lisa Maliko (16:44): to implement in my business. You do. And we have limited space available left for that, but there are still seats. And, you know, that is run by a couple of, professors at, Cornell University. And it's

Unknown Speaker (16:58): gonna be great.

Lisa Maliko (16:59): And I just I really think such a great opportunity for restaurateurs to get in there and, you know, really start to learn how to anchor AI in your home business.

Unknown Speaker (17:07): If I have another kid, and I haven't spoken to Jillian about this because we have three, and it's probably three too many. But if I had another kid, it would be AI, Schaertsburg, I think Which I think has a nice ring to it. I like that, you know,

David Hankies (17:20): did flows right off really nice.

Unknown Speaker (17:22): So alright. So David data. What's hot right now? What What is the data tell you? Because you're aggregating all this information and you go into ignite and ignite and you go and ask ignite ignite.

Unknown Speaker (17:34): What is hot right now? What are the hottest things going on? What is it?

David Hankies (17:38): Well, think if you're looking at it from zoom, are

Unknown Speaker (17:41): you allowed to divulge this information?

David Hankies (17:43): I'll be happy to tell you right now because it's and it's pretty obvious. Think, you know, and and I'm just I I run our beverage program here at Technomic. Beverage is the innovation battleground in restaurants right now. There's a ton of of stuff happening. You just saw recently McDonald's is announcing they're going all in on things like refreshers and dirty sodas and things like that.

David Hankies (18:02): So beverage beverage is hot. If you look at beverage chain sales, outperforming the industry, we just released our data, earlier this week. So beverage and and I would say related to that sort of snack shops as well. Right. So, you know, beverage snack, but affordable indulgences.

David Hankies (18:20): I think there are where a lot of the consumers are trending toward right now.

Unknown Speaker (18:24): And then chicks hot, right?

Unknown Speaker (18:26): I mean, we're in an

Unknown Speaker (18:26): for beverage for one second because you're saying beverage beverage beverage, hot, hot, everything. You're tracking full serve fine dine Qsr. You're tracking it all. What is night? Tell us about alcoholic beverages.

Unknown Speaker (18:43): Is it? Is it truly because one person I spoke to in the industry said what they're seeing is It's the Off premise. It's the liquor stores that are doing well and the restaurants. The on prem is people are still drinking when they go out because that's when they do want to drink. What what does ignite tell us about alcohol beverages?

David Hankies (19:04): So what I'll what I'll tell you about beverage alcohol is underperforming. I think on a on an overall basis, it declined last year. I mean, wine sales are really suffering right now. Spirits are sort of holding on. Okay.

David Hankies (19:18): Beer is a little bit soft, but it's definitely underperformed. And part of the challenge is we've got an affordability crisis in restaurants right now. Right. So menu prices have risen faster than incomes for the last several years. People just you see it in traffic numbers because people have pulled back from restaurants.

David Hankies (19:34): And when they do go out, they're not drinking as much. And part of that is social. Part of that is health related. Part of it is economic. So alcohol sales.

David Hankies (19:46): Partially sure. Yeah. No, I mean, think GLP-one's are definitely having an impact on consumption once you're at restaurants. I don't think it's impacting the total industry as much, but certain categories and alcohol is absolutely one of those categories that's hitting. So no alcohol.

David Hankies (20:03): So when I talk about beverage, I'm talking about cold beverages, like refreshers, like cold coffees, like dirty sodas. Alcohol is really challenged right now. Mocktails doing well. Right. So it's an alcohol side of things.

David Hankies (20:19): And, you know, the challenges for a lot of full service restaurants, are already having traffic issues to now suddenly be exacerbated by a downturn in alcohol to double whammy because not only are your traffic or your sales going down, but now that highly margin, highly profitable, high margin alcohol sale is missing more often than that. I would

Unknown Speaker (20:38): tell you. I mean, you know, if you go out with folks that don't drink alcohol for whatever the reason may be, I mean, they will tell you that there Bill at the end of the evening is far less than someone to

David Hankies (20:51): us significantly less for sure.

Unknown Speaker (20:53): Have a Johnny Walker. I'm a Johnny Walker black guy. That's my drink. And anywhere I go, it's always what's the price of a Johnny Black? And that's kind of like my benchmark, you know, and I just remember Johnny Black was and it was always a little bit more expensive than you know others.

Unknown Speaker (21:08): It was a little higher end. Iron was a $10 and it was a $12 drink and then 15 and then 18. And now I'm going out. It's like Johnny box at 20 or $22 You know what I mean? So it's become like this and $22 was like that was like that must have been a really super deluxe.

Unknown Speaker (21:25): But, it is. It is very interesting. So beverages are hot. It's all the dirty sodas. I knew that, but I just was I wanted to hear your take on the alcohol and what ignite has to say.

Unknown Speaker (21:36): And then and then, chicken is you're saying chicken is still super hot.

David Hankies (21:43): Chicken. Yeah. I mean, and and you have to look no further than McDonald's, the largest chain in the world. Right? I mean, are two big initiatives.

David Hankies (21:48): They're all they talk about are chicken and beverage right now. And so and, you know, certainly players like raising canes and, you know, there's a just a whole host of chicken concepts that are exploding. And so when you look at kind of the unit growth of our chain data, 83% of growth happened in beverage, snack and beverage, snack and chicken, right? So that really is where the growth is happening. That's where the concepts are opening.

Unknown Speaker (22:15): That's where things are

Unknown Speaker (22:17): around for a long time eating chicken forever. I mean, what? I mean, I was always eating chicken. So why is chicken so hot now?

David Hankies (22:25): Well I mean, I think I mean, there's certainly that health halo, right? And I think consumers today are just more conscious of that than they were before. But I think you know, part of it is a margin issue. Part of it is restaurants are focused on chicken because it's

Unknown Speaker (22:36): margin than beef.

David Hankies (22:38): Better margin than beef. Beef prices have been all over the place and are pretty high right now. But you know, if you're a chain, you've got a plan two or three years in advance. You're not just going to turn on a dime and suddenly start selling chicken because of the spot price of beef. And so this is certainly a longer term trend that we've been saying seen play out for a while.

David Hankies (22:55): And you know, Chick fil A as as, you know, certainly taken advantage of that when you look at the explosive growth that they've had over the last fifth picky pick a number fifteen years.

Unknown Speaker (23:05): I was just in Boston for South by Southwest, and there was a chick fil A and I think they had four drive through lanes and they have a guy outside with like, you know, you know, in one of those like workman's, you know, orange vests with like the flashlight like an airline like direct direct traffic, and it never stopped. Except on Sunday every day all day. It was just people from from the time I woke up, I opened up my window and there was a chick fight. It just never stopped. It's unbelievable.

Unknown Speaker (23:37): Just think they're you. They're taking up all the chicken like there's how is there still chicken left after that?

David Hankies (23:44): Well, mean, there's a lot of chickens that are growing here and you know, and actually, it's interesting. Chick fil A has has slowed a little bit. Right? So I mean, they still grew over 5% last year, but it's, you know, the Wingstop's and the canes and some of these, you know, sort of, I don't wanna say second tier because that underplays it, but, you know, sort of these rising chains and, you know, Chick fil A, you know, certainly, you know, continues to set the standard and they're the third largest chain in the country right now. And, you know, I think that just speaks to, you know, if you look at who's that McDonald's, Starbucks and Chick fil A, right?

David Hankies (24:16): And then in sort of a capsule of what's happening in the industry, you can kind of look and see all of these trends play out in those top three. And you know, maybe the top couple players beyond that as well. But that's you know, that's that's what's happening in the industry.

Unknown Speaker (24:29): And let's let's Lisa, let's get on to the the show floor a little bit. Take me through the show floor. It's, how many square? How many square feet is the show floor? Can you divulge that information, or is that proprietary?

Lisa Maliko (24:41): You can give Not no. It's not proprietary. Yeah. So we'll be around 730,000 square feet in total. Like I said, that's around is 13 every

Unknown Speaker (24:54): use or is there no?

Lisa Maliko (24:57): No. McCormick Place is four separate buildings. We use three of that. Believe there's extra space. Almost.

Lisa Maliko (25:04): But like you said, McCormick Place is the largest single convention center building in the country.

Unknown Speaker (25:09): Of space. What do we need to do to fill that up?

Lisa Maliko (25:14): We need restaurant equipment to be a lot bigger. You know? So, like, I think it's like you when we in the trade show business, you we compare ourselves to square footage, and I always say, like, an agriculture show is a lot different than a restaurant show. Right? So the the actual largest trade show there is is ConExpo, ConAg.

Unknown Speaker (25:30): Is that in America or

Unknown Speaker (25:31): is that, like, a huge

Unknown Speaker (25:33): Oh, it is.

Lisa Maliko (25:34): It's in Las Vegas every year, but it's, like, big, you know, cranes and, like, irrigation equipment and things that take up practically a whole building. Right. You know what I mean?

Unknown Speaker (25:44): Because they're saying, oh, I have more space. Exactly. I mean, like, like, at 07:47 or something like that. They're cheating.

Lisa Maliko (25:50): Right. Right. Right. And, like, we have, like, a refrigerator. You know what I'm saying?

Lisa Maliko (25:54): Like, it's little bit of a larger equipment that

Unknown Speaker (25:56): we need.

Lisa Maliko (25:59): Well, I don't you know what? For my purposes, yes. But I think forever for the actual restaurant's purposes, they like everything to get a little bit smaller and more operationally efficient, which

Unknown Speaker (26:09): I do. Understand? I'm gonna ask you, Lisa, because this is something that I just I need to know. So when I go to the show every year, there's a Starbucks when you come off the escalator, right? Yes.

Unknown Speaker (26:23): People are waiting online there. It looks like it looks like the bathroom line for the women's bathroom line at a concert. You know what I mean? It's just there's like 400 people there, and they don't use any mobile ordering at that particular Starbucks and everyone's like, Well, you know, it's a restaurant show. It's a hospitality show.

Unknown Speaker (26:40): Everyone's pitching technology. Starbucks is this big technology company with with loyalty. And then and then I go downstairs another level and there's a Starbucks, but it's closed. Give me the scoop and everyone's like, Why don't they just open that Starbucks to what is going on? What can you tell us?

Unknown Speaker (26:59): And if I'm getting someone fired or in trouble, then you know what they should be. They should be because this is upsetting to everybody.

Lisa Maliko (27:05): Yes. So I will tell you, the the reason is not mobile ordering is really because that's not a Starbucks owned Starbucks.

Unknown Speaker (27:16): It's one of those.

Lisa Maliko (27:18): So that's McCormick.

Unknown Speaker (27:20): Or is it like one of those

Lisa Maliko (27:21): food service? Yeah, the well, it's the catering company.

Unknown Speaker (27:24): Yeah, McCormick and they just don't they they prefer not to do that. Can't you make them? Can't you make them sense?

Lisa Maliko (27:30): We have talked to him about it over and over and over again. I do believe it is in the plan, the investment plan that they have. But Is a big plan? I don't think it'll be for 2026. I don't know.

Unknown Speaker (27:44): Okay. You think that every show that goes through McCormick Place would want it, not just us. I don't know, though. Alright. Now what about the Starbucks

Unknown Speaker (27:53): downstairs in that other, like, little area? Why don't they open that one?

Lisa Maliko (27:58): Yeah. No. I Interestingly enough, it is supposed to be open. Here's Yeah. So this is Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (28:06): This is good information for me.

Unknown Speaker (28:08): Because it's never open.

Unknown Speaker (28:09): What'd you say, David? No. I mean, I this is actually really good information for me to know. I actually don't think I knew that it wasn't open. This is me because I've been running around doing other things.

Unknown Speaker (28:19): We went down there. So I'll go, shit. It's not open. Yeah. That so can we get that open?

Unknown Speaker (28:24): Can we make sure?

Lisa Maliko (28:26): Yeah Yeah, I'll get on top of that for sure. I swear I didn't know that.

Unknown Speaker (28:30): I go there for meetings because there is an area of sit down. It's never open.

Unknown Speaker (28:35): Yes that I know,

Unknown Speaker (28:36): but I think we might be able to get that fourth building. Sold and get like another couple 100,000. But my goal is for the for the big show of the show is to have a million square feet spoken for. And I think that if we can show that you can get an iced coffee or an iced tea faster I think more people will show. What do you think about that?

Lisa Maliko (29:00): I think that that might be the key as well. And, I also think that it will have job security for life if I can get to a million.

Unknown Speaker (29:07): So we can do it together. Me and Dan

Unknown Speaker (29:10): We can do it together.

Unknown Speaker (29:11): I guess. With technology.

Unknown Speaker (29:13): Big venture.

Unknown Speaker (29:13): Right? And and your know how. My interesting little tidbits like that Starbucks is closed.

Lisa Maliko (29:19): Yes. The Starbucks. I mean, I real I swear it's it's like new information. But but yeah. Though, I do think mobile like, I do think mobile ordering is coming, but probably not for the twenty sixth show.

Lisa Maliko (29:32): But I will I will definitely work on getting that Starbucks open because I agree it's, it's a that line on the one in front of North Hall is

Unknown Speaker (29:39): what I wanted to bring. Now let's get into the show. So you got 750,000 square feet. You got 50,000 people now how much of the show is food and beverage? And how much of the show is like suppliers?

Unknown Speaker (29:54): Like what is it fifty fifty? Or is it more food more than what? What is the break?

Lisa Maliko (30:00): Yep So we have, 900 different types of products on the show or 900 product categories that break down into 11 super categories. But I would say about a third of our show is food. Another third is, like, equipment and supplies, and the rest of the third is, like, really, like, technology and other types of info new other supplies. So it kinda breaks down into a third, third, third.

Unknown Speaker (30:30): Was probably it it's it's creeping. It's creeping. Do you think technology will like become more than a third? Like, will it become the the first largest?

Lisa Maliko (30:41): Interesting because you're you're sort of seeing the bleeding of technology and equipment together as well. And so as equipment like I said, you know, as the stuff at Middleby starts to shrink in size and become more efficient

Unknown Speaker (30:58): Right. Yep.

Lisa Maliko (30:58): And more technology based. And as that happens in the back of the house and in the kitchens, you're you're kinda getting that blending of technology and equipment and different things like that. So, you know, it's a little hard to say in terms of, you know, how those product categories Sure. Flesh out for us. But I, you know, I do think that kind of technology takeover is happening in a lot of ways, and not in a not in a bad way.

Lisa Maliko (31:23): I mean, that interconnected kitchen is how you know, it's how everything works. It's working in your home that way. It's certainly obviously, it's gonna work that way, at work. So I the kitchen innovation showroom, which is in the South Building, is really where all that Mhmm. You know, vetted equipment that our judges, you know, went over and picked out as sort of the best of the best to look at this year.

Lisa Maliko (31:46): That's in its twenty year of existence as an awards program, and we've got some great equipment in there. But the the most interesting interesting stuff back there is all AI powered and all tech power units.

Unknown Speaker (32:00): David again. That's equipment. David, let's go back to, your I like it's like it's how 2,000. It's the ignite, right? Ignite is your how 2,000 data platform.

Unknown Speaker (32:11): Yeah, it's our data platform.

Unknown Speaker (32:12): What does ignite say about robotics? What does it say robots right now?

David Hankies (32:17): Well, I think robotics are one of those tech pieces that gets a lot of interest that is probably a little bit more impractical in reality. There, you know, certainly labor has been an issue. Interesting chat. See, we went back. I looked at a study from 1970.

David Hankies (32:31): You know what the number one issue operators were complaining about in 1970 was? It was labor. Labor has been an issue forever in restaurants.

Unknown Speaker (32:37): And so anytime I have anyone on the show, people like, like there's never been a time as a restaurant owner and operate. We got 20 restaurants in New York thirty years. There's not one time I went into a discussion or meeting and I looked at a P and L or I had it. What what? I'm like, Hey, you know what, guys?

Unknown Speaker (32:53): I gotta tell you our labor. It's so low. We need to go hire some more people and pay everyone more. It's unbelievable. We need more people and pay them more immediately because we've got so much money left over.

Unknown Speaker (33:06): We need more like it's never happened. Always been a problem.

David Hankies (33:09): Yep. Always been a problem. And so and so, you know, robotics, think I a lot of people's minds solves that. It really doesn't though, right? Because the technology is still not quite, there where you can't get rid of the people to be backups if something happens to the labor.

David Hankies (33:25): And I've talked to a lot of restaurants. It's where it works great in fast food environments with a very limited menu. Once you get into a sit down full service restaurant, there's too many moving pieces. It's very hard. The footprint of a kitchen is small.

David Hankies (33:37): So, you know, I think there's certain areas where robotics works well. It's in a limited service environment with a with a very narrow menu. But it's come, but it doesn't it's coming, but it doesn't solve that labor issue. And so that, you know, I think a lot of what's been tested so far is kind of more theater in a way, right? People draws people in and you'll see it at the show, right?

Unknown Speaker (33:58): Like the robot making the drink, but you got nowhere to go on a cruise. You know, hurry on a cruise, you know, so it's a novelty, but in a bar like I don't know is things moving like it's no good. So Lisa, are you seeing as you see the floor? You said a third a third a third. Are you now?

Unknown Speaker (34:17): Is it like robotics? There were none. And now like all of the third of technology like 25% robotics now, and it's like creep like, Are you seeing more robotic stuff? I mean, I know you bring up Middleby and I know this isn't the Middleby show. I love the guys at Middleby, but I mean, they're all in on some really cool.

Unknown Speaker (34:35): They are pouring beverages things that are frying about and they're all I mean, they're all in.

Lisa Maliko (34:43): Yeah I wouldn't say that the robotics on the in leasing the tech area is not quite 25% yet. I mean, but it's it's certainly is creeping up there. It's not you know? And it really depends on, like, whether or not you're going into the, like, more equipment companies and looking at what pieces of their equipment is integrating robotics versus maybe a newer company that's straight robotics company. So it it maybe your question's a little twofold because a lot of the, you know, traditional equipment companies are integrating robotics in there versus, like, you know, the tech, maybe more pure tech companies or a pure

Unknown Speaker (35:23): robotics company think people what

Lisa Maliko (35:24): we're really robotics or something like that.

Unknown Speaker (35:27): Remember the Jetsons. I think what we're really looking for is Rosie. We want Rosie rolling around our house. I want Rosie in the restaurant. We just want Rosie.

Unknown Speaker (35:36): Right And then I also want to take like the Yeah. And then the Jetsons they would take like a little thing and put it and they put it inside and push a button like a turkey dinner would pop out, right? That's that's what I'm looking for. Alright let's go on to something else. Let's just talk about David.

Unknown Speaker (35:53): What are you like? What are you most looking forward to this show? Don't say the day it ends. Don't say that I want to real. I know that's probably like today.

Unknown Speaker (36:02): It's over today. I'm looking for it. But really, like, I mean, you've been doing this a long time. Are you still excited about the show?

David Hankies (36:09): Yeah I mean, I've this is probably about my twenty sixth show, right? I mean, was a couple that we missed during the pandemic and whatever, but I've been going to this for a long time. And so, you know, I think what I'm excited about is I'm doing a press breakfast that morning and then I'm running over to the beverage stage and I'm doing a presentation at the beverage stage on Saturday. Look forward to seeing clients. Technomic's got a booth.

David Hankies (36:31): We always have a ton of people come by the booth. So the show for me is kind of an industry reunion, right? I mean, there's, you know, thirty years of Technomic. There's a lot of past people, people I've met clients. It's just it's like a homecoming for a lot of people.

David Hankies (36:45): And so I think what I look forward to certainly, you know, seeing the trends and the new stuff is great. I look more forward to seeing people that I haven't seen sometimes in a couple of years and just, you know, and you kind of described it earlier, right? It's kind of a party. And so I just look forward to the industry coming together.

Unknown Speaker (37:03): Alright, listen, I gotta take we gotta take a really just a super quick break and we got we got a lot more to get to not a lot more, but we have a few more questions. Few more things to get to. Don't go away. Okay? Hey everybody.

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Unknown Speaker (38:04): When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right. The entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment, sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right.

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Unknown Speaker (38:43): Learn more at builtdining.com backslash Hangout. That's builtdining.com backslash Hangout, and check out what Built Hospitality is gonna do for you and your restaurant. Alright We're back. We gotta get a little bit more to get to. Alright Here we go.

Unknown Speaker (39:02): Here we go. Let's jump into a quick fire. This is truly going to be a quick fire because I'm gonna yell that by Julie because I think we're like over. We've We've spoken for a long time. But here it is.

Unknown Speaker (39:10): Alright ready. This is the quickfire. David favorite place to eat in Chicago. Sundown. Lisa Same question.

Lisa Maliko (39:19): I would say Rosemary.

Unknown Speaker (39:21): If you can walk the show for with anyone dead or alive, dead or alive, you walk the show, Lisa, who you wanna walk the show

Lisa Maliko (39:27): with? Anthony Bourdain.

Unknown Speaker (39:29): That would be a

Unknown Speaker (39:30): good one.

Unknown Speaker (39:31): Was he had it yet? Had he ever gone to the show?

Lisa Maliko (39:34): So he did. So we had him at the show. He judged our mixology competition we used to run at the show for us, and he spoke probably in, I think, like, 2012. When did

Unknown Speaker (39:46): he die?

Lisa Maliko (39:47): '13, and I a couple years after that. And my big regret is I didn't I talked to him. I I know, but I

Unknown Speaker (39:55): didn't you do that

Unknown Speaker (39:56): you wanted. Advantage of And you can I you clean? Keep it keep clean

Unknown Speaker (40:00): for this show, please.

Lisa Maliko (40:01): It was clean. It was clean. It's clean. I just I would have wanted to, like, just get a picture with him and be like, I got to meet Anthony Bourdain, and I didn't.

Unknown Speaker (40:08): I was

Unknown Speaker (40:09): just so busy with my work and all these things. And I What that

Unknown Speaker (40:12): was like about 13?

Lisa Maliko (40:14): Yeah. They were. It was like, you know, it was probably like with the BlackBerry.

Unknown Speaker (40:17): And, David, who would you like to walk the show with your twenty six years you're there and you're bored out of your mind? Yeah. What do you want to bring with you?

David Hankies (40:27): Well, I think, you know, I think back to our founder, Ron Paul, Ron Ron started Technomic in 1966. He passed away a couple years ago. I would love to view the restaurant show through his eyes. I mean, was the guru of the restaurant industry for forever, and, I think it would be great to have him back and and to walk the show Ron, floor with

Unknown Speaker (40:47): was he a restaurant guy like did he start in the business like was he a hustler?

David Hankies (40:51): So he he and his partner started Technomic. They were coming out of IIT and Illinois Institute of Technology and they thought they were starting a technology and economics consulting company. Right. They were smart guys. They, you know, were trying to get into the consulting business.

David Hankies (41:05): And one of the first engagements they had was in the food industry. And so Ron is one of the partners took the food industry. His partner took other stuff. And so Ron, you know, since 1966 kind of did a lot of the early research to sort of establish what the industry is, how it's segmented, how big it is, right? I mean, lot of that early research, which we still build on a technomic, he was the guy that founded all of that

Unknown Speaker (41:30): because nobody understood. Was. Nobody knew That no matter what goes on in the world, everyone has to eat and drink.

Unknown Speaker (41:37): Everybody's gotta eat.

Unknown Speaker (41:38): Everybody's gotta eat differently. You might like different things. Some cooks about but everyone if we don't eat With full conviction, we will die. So he was very smart. There was no there's no limit on the addressable market.

Unknown Speaker (41:51): It's everyone. Everyone who was alive has to eat and drink. Ron Paul rests. Exactly right. Smart man.

Unknown Speaker (41:58): Smart man. Alright let me ask him.

Unknown Speaker (42:00): You guys

Unknown Speaker (42:00): travel a lot. Airline loyalty or hotel loyalty. Which way are going, David? What do you do? What's What's your preference?

Unknown Speaker (42:05): You like an airline? We like a hotel

David Hankies (42:08): more airline. I like being in group one on United and being able to put my luggage up on your guy.

Unknown Speaker (42:14): You're you're group one and that Chicago makes sense. And Lisa, you're Chicago. So are you united? Or are you like Hyatt? Because I mean, that's that's Chicago.

Lisa Maliko (42:23): Yeah. No. I'm united, but I, you know, I'm united. I I swing airline as well. I think it's to me the what's your what's

Unknown Speaker (42:30): your what's your

Lisa Maliko (42:31): great, but I,

Unknown Speaker (42:32): group of choice. Are you a Hyatt? Because it's the Pritzker's or you a Hilton?

Lisa Maliko (42:36): I have to I can't say. I can't say. But you can't with too many of the hotel chains. I can't do it. This.

Unknown Speaker (42:42): Look at this.

Unknown Speaker (42:43): I gotta tell you. You work with me.

Unknown Speaker (42:45): I can't. We partner with all of them. Partner with all

Unknown Speaker (42:48): of hotel. But but United was no problem.

Lisa Maliko (42:50): All of them. Yeah, they we we also have United code available on our website for discount travel to the

Unknown Speaker (42:58): restaurant show. So there you go. So I'm

Unknown Speaker (43:00): a I'm a manager. But

Unknown Speaker (43:01): but listen, I'll I I love Hilton and I love I love them all. I love I'm with you. I guess to me, it's like where am I going? And what's the best deal kind of thing? And yeah,

Unknown Speaker (43:12): what's the best one there in the in the city of your

Unknown Speaker (43:14): family, like wherever the show is a conference or event. I want to stay as close as I can there, except when except for the restaurant show. I don't want to stay by the McCormick's That's just that's just not where I want to stay. That's why. Alright now, let me ask you this.

Unknown Speaker (43:27): This is the most important question of all of and this really is the quickfire every bit is ever gonna on a faster quickfire than this one. I mean, this is like unbelievable. I gotta tell you. Alright Howdy, David. How do you take your bagel?

Unknown Speaker (43:38): Chicago guy? How does that Chicago guy take a bagel? I

David Hankies (43:44): would say if, if, if I'm really treating myself, it's going to be cream cheese, locks and probably a slice of tomato on

Unknown Speaker (43:50): everything bagel, a plain bagel, an egg bagel. What kind of bagel are you going with?

David Hankies (43:54): I think an egg bagel. I think you know, I'm a bagel agnostic, but I, probably a probably an egg

Unknown Speaker (43:59): bagel and you're going a little locks or right and your tomato and cream

David Hankies (44:04): cheese, cream cheese locks and a sliced tomato. Yeah, that's what my wife's ingrained in me. That's how that's how she takes it.

Unknown Speaker (44:10): Chicago bagel place you that you're like, Yeah, this is what I love, and don't no one's gonna get mad. I mean, this is the place you go to. It's not I

Lisa Maliko (44:17): just don't think that we go to Chicago bagel places.

Unknown Speaker (44:21): There's one I lived there.

Lisa Maliko (44:23): There's just not a Chicago style bagel. Mean, like

David Hankies (44:27): there's one in my suburb that is called daily, the daily bagel, and it's I mean, it's good. I mean, told me that fresh made

Unknown Speaker (44:35): it swear it was Brad Fishman who lives in. I swear it was him. Maybe not. What suburb are you in?

Unknown Speaker (44:42): Yeah. Oak Park. Oak Park is where it where it's located where the,

Unknown Speaker (44:47): the area that Oak Park

Unknown Speaker (44:51): mean, sure. I mean, it's I don't fancy ads. You know, tell

Unknown Speaker (44:54): me Where was the home alone house? Was that no park? Because that was a nice house.

Unknown Speaker (44:58): That was on the North North

Unknown Speaker (45:00): Of Shore. That's a fancy area. What's that area? That was a nice house, right?

Unknown Speaker (45:05): Was like, Will met like Will met.

Unknown Speaker (45:06): It is Will met too. I think that's that's on the that's on the lake. Oh. Closer to you, take your bagel. What's what does Lisa do?

Lisa Maliko (45:16): So I can't really get what I like in Chicago because I'm more of a I grew up in Detroit, which is a little more like Bachelorette style bagels, but I like a salt I like a salt bagel, with plain cream cheese.

Unknown Speaker (45:28): You know, I just had we just did a bagel boss show and I had a bagel. The owner Zooker's from New York City, Estebago from New York City and Black Sea bagel from New York City. And they all said that the salt bagel was like making a comeback. And you know why? I know why.

Unknown Speaker (45:45): You wanna know why? Because thanks David's like, I just want to get off

Unknown Speaker (45:51): the show. How much longer do I

Unknown Speaker (45:52): have to do this? Oh my God. I'm gonna lie and say my wife's calling. It's like, okay. I can't believe Julie hasn't told me to get off.

Unknown Speaker (45:59): I could just keep on talking. Usually she interrupts me and says, but she's not paying attention right now. Alright This is serious. The last thing Wait. What I just have to tell you?

Unknown Speaker (46:06): Oh I know why. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Unknown Speaker (46:08): You're telling me salt bagels.

Unknown Speaker (46:09): Tell us about the salted bagels. So here's the thing. When we were told and I don't know everyone's ages, but I'll just say I think everyone understand where I'm going with this. We were told for a while. You can't eat butter and we all had to switch to margin like I grew up.

Unknown Speaker (46:26): I was on butter and then all of a sudden one day it was like there was no more butter in the house. It was like this spreadable like margin. It was like made from like corn oil or something, right? Because we were told butter was bad because the fat was bad. Don't eat that.

Unknown Speaker (46:39): And then like I couldn't. I always loved Sonny's had a bag. You can't eat the yellow. You gotta bag whites, right? And I think salt was bad because I also tell you high blood pressure heart disease.

Unknown Speaker (46:49): You get it. I don't have salt. Don't have salt. Don't have red meat. Don't have the yellow part of the eggs, and it was all bad.

Unknown Speaker (46:56): And it killed the salt bagel. And I think now we're hearing, you know, losing salt moderation isn't any. You need a little salt sauce. Not bad eggs are good, right? David David, stop your emailing right now.

Unknown Speaker (47:11): I could tell. No, I'm not. No, I'm not asking ignite what's going on.

Unknown Speaker (47:16): I'm locked in

Unknown Speaker (47:17): asking about assault

Unknown Speaker (47:18): bagel ignite. What's most popular bagel is? Alright Listen, we gotta We gotta get you guys out of here because you got a big show to produce. You've been You said it all. You've been here for an hour and fifteen minutes.

Unknown Speaker (47:30): Well, I had two of you. So was it was not, you know, it was double time, you know? I mean, usually there's her so you guys are absolutely fabulous guests. Thank you so much for joining us. I think I think you gave us some good knowledge.

Unknown Speaker (47:42): I mean, it was I kind of I think it was very Seinfeld esque, you know, was it was, I think stuff that people care about. You know what I mean? I think we gave him some real knowledge. But at the end of the day, you really you guys are crushing it. Lisa you run.

Unknown Speaker (47:54): I think one of the most fabulous shows, not just in the industry. I've been to a lot of shows. It's really a great. It's really a great event, outside of the Starbucks, but we're now aware of that, and I think we're going to fix that. And I'm glad that I can help David.

Unknown Speaker (48:08): You bring great insights and really understanding that you're sharing all this industry knowledge with folks, and I think it's really cool because it helps us make better decisions. It's awesome again. If you haven't already signed up for the restaurant show, nationalrestaurantshow.com. This is a huge code here, but you get a big discount. Hospitality Hangout 26 hotshot the big code.

Unknown Speaker (48:34): I don't know why we couldn't like H twenty six H 26, you know, H H 26, but we go with hospitality Hangout twenty six. You saved $26 off your badge. So check that out. Let me see if there's anything else. No.

Unknown Speaker (48:49): If you want to ask Lisa or David any questions, Lisa, what's your cell phone? No. I I could lure in. I thought I could lure you that

Unknown Speaker (49:00): nice try.

Unknown Speaker (49:02): If you have any questions, you can send it to podcast@branded.NYC. By the way, you know, we've never gotten an email. I've never once got it. We get emails for people that want to be on the show and, like, sponsor the job. I've never gotten a question.

Unknown Speaker (49:14): Julie, we have to look into them. There's something wrong. Alright And if you haven't already check us out at YouTube at hospitality, hangout, and you see how unbelievable Lisa and David really are. And if you haven't read our newsletter, topoftheheadline.com and I will see everybody in Chicago. Thank you, Lisa.

Unknown Speaker (49:30): Thank you, David and the National Restaurant Show. The show twenty sixth of Cormark in Chicago. Looking forward. Cheers, everybody.