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NRN coverage of the annual National Restaurant Association Show

The latest in technology featured at the NRA showThe latest in technology featured at the NRA show

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

May 20, 2023

 

Robots have been dominating the National Restaurant Association Show’s tech pavilion and equipment booths for years, and in 2022, we saw everything from robot dogs that can carry your delivery order up the stairs for you, to several different versions of the robot server that can carry trays of drinks and appetizers. For the most part, AI and automation at the 2022 National Restaurant Association show was focused on robots as labor-saving tools, as that was the number one concern of restaurants coming out of the pandemic.

But this year, we predict that much of the newest technology at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago next week will be less flashy and more software-focused as data-based digital technology rises in prominence. Of course, automation will still be fully on display as technology vendors tout all-in-one automated solutions for operators, from kitchens of the future to AI-based drive-thru lanes.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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