NRA Show focuses on staffing

This year’s National Restaurant Association Show is opening with a labor pitch: restaurants are being told that hiring, onboarding, and training software can lift profits. (restaurant.org) The National Restaurant Association published its new workforce report on April 23, 2026, saying understaffing cuts sales and service quality and that technology delivers its biggest payoff after a worker is hired. The report says one missing employee can cost a restaurant “hundreds of dollars per shift.” (restaurant.org) The trade group’s report, supported by Workday, says restaurants still face persistent staffing pressure even after labor-market conditions stabilized from the “Great Resignation” period. It points operators to faster hiring, stronger onboarding, better scheduling, and more manager time on the floor instead of paperwork. (restaurant.org) That message is landing just before the 2026 show in Chicago, which the event’s website says runs May 16 through May 19 at McCormick Place. The show is promoting “AI, robotics, plant-based trends, sustainable packaging and more,” alongside operator-led education sessions. (nationalrestaurantshow.com) The staffing theme is showing up in exhibitor messaging, not just in association research. Campbell’s Foodservice said it will use the show to pitch “practical tools and training” alongside product samples at booth 12109. (snackandbakery.com) Campbell’s is also bringing a school-focused product launch: Goldfish Flavor Blasted Sour Cream & Onion Baked with Whole Grain Cheddar Crackers, which it says are suitable for K-12 kids meals as a side or part of a combo. The company announced the launch on April 22, 2026, ahead of the Chicago event. (snackandbakery.com) The show floor is also making room for automation vendors. The Industry Group and Kiosk Association said they plan to highlight self-service, digital signage, restaurant automation, and accessibility technology at the 2026 event. (restaurantnewsresource.com) The official exhibitor directory frames the event as a planning tool for operators, with floor plans, product categories, programming, and exhibitor searches rather than a consumer-style festival lineup. That fits a year when staffing systems, school foodservice products, and back-of-house tools are getting as much attention as menu spectacle. (directory.nationalrestaurantshow.com) So the early story around the 2026 show is less about one breakout dish than about labor math. In Chicago next month, the industry’s trade group and its suppliers are both selling the same idea: better staffing systems are now part of the restaurant product mix. (restaurant.org)