Restaurant industry conferences and trade shows
The shows worth leaving service for, with the dates and venues each organiser has confirmed. Half of these are built for multi-unit operators and half for independents, which is the single most useful thing to know before booking, and the thing most roundups do not tell you.
7 upcoming · dates confirmed with each organiser
- Official siteSummitMarch 8 to 10, 2027
Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit 2027
New Orleans, LA
Narrow on purpose. If you do not own or want a franchise there is very little here, and if you do it is one of the few events built entirely around that model.
Best for: Franchisees and franchisors
- Official siteConferenceMarch 15 to 17, 2027
MURTEC 2027
Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, NV
The Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference, and the place the industry argues about ordering, delivery and POS. Aimed at groups rather than single sites. FSTEC covers similar ground in September but had not published 2027 dates when this page was last checked.
Best for: Multi-unit operators choosing systems
- Official siteTrade showMarch 22 to 24, 2027
Bar & Restaurant Expo 2027
Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Las Vegas, NV
Formerly the Nightclub & Bar Show, and the most independent-friendly event on this list. Beverage-heavy, so it earns the trip if the bar is a real part of the P&L.
Best for: Independent bars and restaurants
- Official siteConferenceApril 4 to 7, 2027
Restaurant Leadership Conference 2027
Phoenix, AZ
Content over exhibit floor, and the audience skews to people running dozens of locations. Not the event for a single independent, and worth saying so before you pay for it.
Best for: Chain and multi-unit executives
- Official siteTrade showApril 13 to 15, 2027
International Pizza Expo 2027
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
The largest pizza show in the world and unusually useful for owner-operators, with competitions and hands-on sessions rather than keynotes. Education runs from 11 April, two days before the floor opens.
Best for: Independent pizzerias
- Official siteTrade showMay 22 to 25, 2027
National Restaurant Association Show 2027
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
The largest foodservice trade show in the country and the default if you only go to one. Mostly a buying floor rather than an education event, which is the point when you are replacing equipment or a system.
Best for: Operators, buyers, anyone specifying equipment
- Official siteConferenceJune 21 to 23, 2027
NRA Public Affairs Conference 2027
Washington, DC
Advocacy rather than operations. Worth it only if labour or tax policy is something you actively work on, and not a substitute for any of the above.
Best for: Owners who want to lobby
Dates and venues are taken from each organiser and were last checked in August 2026. Conferences move, so confirm on the official site before booking anything. If we have a date wrong or an event missing, tell us and we will fix it.
While you are here
The follow-up after a conference is where the leads actually go cold.
You come home with a stack of cards and a week of catching up. See what Wysera does for restaurants the rest of the year.