NRA Show 2017: Great New Tabletop for Operators of All Types and Levels

The just concluded 2017 NRA Show was the largest edition of this industry-leading show yet, with more than 695,000 square feet and more than 66,000 total registrants. Within the overall show, there was plenty of excitement in the tabletop category, as well. From new products and new booth designs to new booth locations, the tabletop category really seemed to be upping their game this time around.

If a brand’s tradeshow booth is one of its “billboards” to the industry, we saw a number of companies with new branding image booths with Oneida and RAK Porcelain USA receiving perhaps the most conversation. But, Villeroy & Boch, Turgla and Front of The House (with a freshened, more trend-forward design look) all also reinforced their positions as design leaders in tabletop.

Along with these new and exciting booths, there was plenty of excitement at tabletop exhibitors with industry personalities galore from top chefs and designers to top sommeliers and mixologists. Our interview with Bocuse d’Or Gold-winning chef Mathew Peters and designer Martin Kastner at the Steelite booth was just one example of the many industry rockstars walking the aisles at NRA 2017.

Speaking of rockstars, designer Amber Kendrick is a name more and more industry people are coming to know and for good reason. Amber was on hand showcasing her new Cloud Terre dinnerware Collection #1 for Fortessa ….

And, when it comes to new products, there certainly was no shortage of newness for operators looking to freshen up their hospitality tabletops. Lots of top rate new products like the new ARTEFACT dinnerware collection from FOH.

Another new dinnerware collection we like was the new Robert Gordon collection from Australia was unveiled by Steelite USA. This Aussie-designed porcelain product gives the look of hand-thrown ware, but with the practicality of a restaurant porcelain dinnerware.

The heritage of pottery making for this down-under producer goes back nearly 75 years and we are sure this new partnership with Steelite is definitely going bring more than a few surprises for savvy restaurateurs and creative chefs. We love learning about great new products from talented – and, genuinely nice – producers.

And the newness wasn’t confined to ceramic materials… Revol debuted their new Mealplak collection with resin-like products, made from their patented Nacryl® material, to the North American hospitality market. Color on your tabletop will never be the same after you see Mealplak!

In glassware, Arc Cardinal’s new barware with ArmoRIM® technology was particularly impressive, along with the expanded GEODE line of dinnerware and fast-growing flatware collection. Arc Cardinal continues to become a premier total tabletop leader

We also love Libbey’s new affiliation with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the “Official Tasting Glass” they created. What a great American partnership between these two leadership organizations.

And, in flatware, there continues to be a flood of new finishes so operators now have a dizzying array of choices to make beyond the traditional stainless or 

silverplate look. Companies like Mepra, Rosenthal-Sambonet, BauscherHepp and Lenox (yes, Lenox) and more now are bringing color and texture to this tactile product category. And, there are even new players with 10 Strawberry Street coming with their launch of the German-based Solex high-value brand of flatware.

 

And, finally, the variety of melamine choices in colors and in texture continues to explode. New SCAPE from Steelite, Fortessa with its wide variety of new melamine options and Elite Global with their new DELLA TERRE melamine-stoneware dinnerware. Even GET Enterprises continues to surprise with its growth in tabletop, with creative melamine and much, much more. And, relative newcomer cheforward certainly made the trek over to the Lakeside pavilion worth it with their many new and inspiring tabletop creations. Not only does cheforward have some very cool melamine, their new terracotta collection from Spain’s Graupera is very impressively authentic.

There’s no doubt that we have missed a few (Homer Laughlin’s new Fresco, Vertex China’s Elements, new-look Dudson) but we’ve tried to give you a taste of some of the incredible tabletop products and brands that found their way onto our radar screen at this year’s NRA Show (and don’t even get us started on buffet and disposables!). While it is simply impossible to cover everything in detail in a recap like this, in the coming weeks, we will be continuing to cover the companies, the brands, and the products that are making news in the tabletop category.

Thanks, again, to the NRA Show for providing such a great showcase for hospitality tabletop. If you are a foodservice or hospitality operator – at any level and any type of menu concept – you no longer have any excuse for not having a fun and interesting tabletop.

Remember…it’s all about the dining experience and, yes, #TabletopMatters!