Every May, Chicago becomes the heartbeat of hospitality.
The National Restaurant Association Show is a snapshot of where the industry is and where it’s going. This year, the future took center stage with towering booths and AI-powered everything.
From new tech to shifting operator mindsets, here are three takeaways from my time on the ground at the 2025 NRA Show in Chicago.
1. AI Showed Up in a Big Way Unlike how it was in the B2B software space more than a year ago, AI has truly arrived in restaurants. From legacy players to newcomers, nearly every vendor at the show put AI front and center—in product demos, signage, and conversations.
But the most striking shift I noticed was how many operators approach the conversation about AI for their business. Just a couple of years ago, voice AI felt so new that we spent most of our booth time explaining what it was.
This year was a much different story. Operators came to our booth and had done their research. They came to use with specific questions, ready to evaluate. That level of familiarity and urgency signals that AI in restaurants is becoming more widely adopted and is inching toward necessity.
2. Growth Looks Different This Year If last year was about scaling fast, this year was about growing smart. Across conversations, a common thread emerged: cautious optimism.
Many shared that year-over-year guest traffic was flat or declining, which was validated by a recent study by the James Beard Foundation and Deloitte. Even though many expressed covers are down, operators are finding ways to grow.
Instead, they’re focusing on high-margin revenue streams like catering, private dining, and large to-go orders. Booths like ezCater were buzzing, and for good reason–everyone is trying to stretch their assets further. Efficiency, not expansion, is the new growth playbook.
3. Slang AI’s Momentum Is Getting Noticed One of the clearest signals from this year’s NRA Show is that the restaurant tech stack is consolidating, and operators are seeking solutions that work together seamlessly out of the box. The most productive conversations we had were about what Slang AI does and how we plug into the tools operators already rely on.
We spent time with integration partners, POS providers, reservation platforms, and other key players across the ecosystem. Many of these relationships are already underway, and the interest in deeper alignment is only accelerating.
Operators don’t have time for disconnected point solutions. They’re looking for interoperability, speed to value, and trusted tech partners who can collaborate behind the scenes. That’s exactly where Slang AI shows up.
The Lighter Side of NRA Show If you’ve been to the NRA Show before, you may have noticed something missing: no free Nathan’s hot dogs this year. A small absence, but one that several longtime attendees mentioned with real disappointment. Here’s hoping they make a comeback in 2026.
On a more personal note, it was a privilege to be at the show with so many of our teammates in person. Slang AI is a remote-first company, so opportunities to connect face-to-face are rare, but they are always energizing. From team dinners to impromptu hallway strategy sessions, we made the most of every moment.
And yes, we did manage to squeeze in a little time for Beyoncé. With Queen Bey performing four nights in Chicago that weekend, we joined a few partners and clients for her Saturday show. We can confidently say it lived up to the hype.
A great city, an electric atmosphere, meaningful conversations, and shared time with the people behind the work all made for a standout NRA Show.
Looking Forward to Other Events in 2025 The 2025 NRA Show clearly indicates that the restaurant industry is at an inflection point. AI has evolved from experimental to essential, operators are getting creative about growth despite headwinds, and operators are more knowledgeable about AI than ever.
For us at Slang AI, the NRA Show was both a confirmation and a catalyst. The work we’ve done to build a product that operators trust—and a reputation that precedes us—continues to pay off. But more than that, it’s energizing to see just how ready the industry is to embrace what’s next.
We’re excited for what the rest of 2025 has in store, and we’ll see you at the next stop.
