To commemorate another successful National Restaurant Association Show, we’re hitting the back button to replay the hits. The Esrocky Awards highlights the best of the best of the booths, samples and show-floor experiences. We’re talking all the things creating buzz that make this show so much fun.
Best Beverage
1/10
Awarded to a standout beverage company, either through show experience, flavor innovation or industry impact.
Soda is having its day thanks to inclusions and twists changing how we consume the drink. Within the PepsiCo Foodservice booth, DRIPS by Pepsi™ enjoyed a vibrant installation and a curated selection of their beverage innovations. You couldn’t miss and shouldn’t have missed this experience. We loved PEPSI FOREVER S’MORES, featuring Pepsi, coconut and lime finished with s’mores over whipped cream.
Best Demo
Awarded to the company who elevated a product demo or sampling to the next level.
Did we discover our guac personalities? Yes! But the excellent product demonstrations at the Avocados From Mexico booth kept us turning back and catching more inspiration with help from talented individuals like Chef Gene Kato of Momotaro. Not to mention, the avocado toast bar really appealed to our inner millennial.
2/10
Favorite Flavor Innovation
Awarded to the company with creative and trendsetting flavors or ingredients.
The Tajín Twist was a flavor hit. Do you know how we know? We patiently waited through floor traffic to get up to try a sample of the sweet and spicy blend on dried fruits and desserts. The flavors of mild chili peppers, lime and sugar bring new life to culinary concepts. The long history of this booth sharing game-changing samples and applications does not disappoint.
3/10
Best New Product Innovation
Awarded in recognition of the innovation that utilizes automation and builds business benefits.
Yes, beverages are all the rage, but the Botrista stands out. It enables you to serve 15+ trendy cold drinks in a convenient, all-in-one platform. It’s highly customizable and features a simple, smart touchscreen. With this innovation, you can bring barista-like capabilities to your back-of-house and save space. Plus, the drinks were some of the best we sampled on the show floor. Our final words—bring on the boba.
4/10
Best Equipment Showcase
Awarded to the company who is committed to developing innovative, efficient or helpful foodservice equipment.
The Middleby booth was home to not only the wonderful Burger Bar and PizzaBot™, but a full bullpen of the finest front-of-house and back-of-house equipment in the industry. From the convenient PUC lockers and TurboChef, to Blodgett and Invoq Ovens, this was the space to find solutions.
5/10
Best Packaging
Awarded to the company whose packaging design was visually appealing and functionally superb, balancing design and sustainability.
Tellus told their sustainability story loud and clear. Their line of plates, bowls and containers achieve the rigorous third-party standards set by BPI, the leading verifier of compostable products in North America. These items are made to compost in industrial facilities in just 84 days. Thanks to the engaging, visual storytelling, this key message was easy to remember.
6/10
Outstanding Tech Application
Awarded to the booth promoting a tool or technology built to benefit business.
Was Toast the booth doing the most? This year, their dedication to improved customer experience was front and center. The point-of-sale system launched its AI-powered platform recently with tools like Menu Upsell (prompt employees with menu upgrade recommendations), Digital Chits (provide guest details based on dining history) and Shifts at a Glance (instantly communicated updates between management and staff to their server handheld devices, like updated specials and items out of stock). Now, we can all work smarter.
7/10
Disruptive Sustainability Effort
Awarded to the company making news with its sustainability initiatives.
If you spent a few minutes in the space surrounding The California Milk Advisory Board booth, you’ll see everyone’s favorite Real California Milk seal and hear the buzz related to their commitment to sustainability and reliability. Californian dairies’ carbon footprint has been shrinking for more than fifty years. It’s among the smallest carbon footprint per gallon of milk produced in the world. Their strategy to utilize digesters really helps prevent methane from entering the atmosphere and displaces fossil fuels as an energy source. That’s progress.
8/10
Culinary Collaboration Award
Awarded to the company whose products or services exemplify collaboration in the foodservice industry.
Nestlé Professional Solutions knocked it out of the park. Their partnership with the company founded by Sofia Vergara and Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, TOMA, showed how collaboration can fuel culinary innovation. The empanada samples were a handmade, golden, flaky and savory bite of beef and chicken bliss. This team effort allowed all involved to bring authentic Latin cuisine outside of the home.
9/10
Best Booth Experience
Awarded to the booth whose engagement opportunities pushed the boundaries of tradeshow experience.
You can tell a story with a few words. You can tell a story with a few pictures. Or, you can bring a story to life with an experience like the booth for Tractor Beverage. Bringing out their Mad Farmer Tour vehicle, a retrofitted Airstream, the team served daily happy hours, demonstrating the friendly and lively potential applications of their craft beverages. This provided the opportunity to discuss how the company walks the talk with their Farmhand Foundation—dedicated to helping farmers transition to the use of organic products.
10/10
Courtesy of Esrock Partners, a food marketing agency located near Chicago, Illinois that specializes in the food, beverage and foodservice industries and their current market trends. For a close-up of our capabilities, see our services.