10 Game-Changing Tech Innovations We Found At The Restaurant Show This Year
The 2025 National Restaurant Show in Chicago was a hub of innovation, showcasing transformative technologies poised to redefine the industry
The National Restaurant Association Show was a powerful reminder of how rapidly restaurant technology is evolving. With over 53,000 attendees, hundreds of exhibitors, and a show floor buzzing with innovation, it was clear that digital transformation isn’t just a trend—it’s the future of food service.
Cali BBQ Media was proud to be on the ground in Chicago for the entire Show, capturing video content, recording interviews, and connecting with forward-thinking brands who are redefining how restaurants operate, market, and grow.
From AI-driven tools and automated food pickup lockers to financial automation and smart advertising platforms, the technology showcased this year wasn’t just exciting—it was practical, scalable, and built to solve real problems.
I’m sharing these 10 standout tech innovations from the show that I believe every restaurant operator, franchisee, marketer, and hospitality professional needs to know about. Whether you're running a single-location BBQ joint or scaling a national restaurant group, these tools and companies are leading the charge into a smarter, more profitable future.
1️⃣ Toast’s New Advertising Product
Toast Advertising — one of its ToastIQ tools — goes beyond impressions to show how digital ads drive actual dollars across online, in-person, and catering orders. As we learned at the Show, early beta users are seeing $8 in revenue for every dollar spent on average.
Operators can easily create and manage ads on Google Search and Maps, plus Meta’s Facebook and Instagram—all from within Toast. With AI-assisted setup, data-driven insights, and pre-filled recommendations, running effective campaigns has never been easier.
2️⃣ PepsiCo’s Local Eats and Digital Labs
PepsiCo showcased its commitment to supporting local restaurants through its Local Eats program and Digital Labs initiative (free to anyone who pours Pepsi at their establishment). These programs provide resources and tools to help restaurants innovate and thrive in a competitive market.
3️⃣ Restaurant365’s Real-Time P&L Reporting
Restaurant365 unveiled advanced predictive models for inventory management and AI tools for sales and labor forecasting. These innovations aim to provide restaurant operators with real-time insights to optimize operations and drive profitability. And with real-time reporting, you can fix problems now, instead of reading about them later.
4️⃣ Palona’s AI Voice Agents
Palona provides you with AI voice sales agents with character that will help you drive revenue by upselling and representing your brand well. Palona AI speaks in your style, including accents and personalities that are tailored to you. It’s accurate, fast, and customizable. We were lucky to interview Palona CEO and cofounder Maria Zhang at the National Restaurant Show about what the future holds for this amazing technology and how it can benefit restaurants.
We’re beginning to set-up Palona at Cali BBQ and can’t wait for you to have a conversation with AI Shawn. Do you want to talk to him now? DM me and I’ll give you his number to test it out.
5️⃣ Apex Order Pickup Solutions’ Smart Lockers
Apex showcased its OrderHQ Exterior Smart Food Locker, designed to enhance the efficiency of food pickup services. These lockers aim to reduce wait times and improve the customer experience by providing a seamless pickup process. They look great, too.
6️⃣ Popmenu’s AI Marketing Tool
Popmenu introduced an AI-powered marketing tool that automates the creation of personalized marketing campaigns. By analyzing guest behavior and order history, the tool suggests targeted content for emails, texts, and social media, helping restaurants engage customers more effectively.
7️⃣ Avalara’s Business Compliance Services
We’ve been a fan of DAVO Sales Tax by Avalara for a while now because of how it helps restaurants like ours put “sales tax on autopilot.” We stopped by the Avalara booth at the Show to learn more about their full offerings, including new services to assist restaurants with business licensing and more administrative tasks.
8️⃣ Kitchensync’s AI-Driven Financial Operations
Kitchensync showcased its AI-enhanced platform that provides restaurants with CFO-level insights and bookkeeping services. The daily financial insights and weekly P&Ls enable operators to make informed, data-driven decisions quickly.
9️⃣ F3 Tech’s Expert Network
F3 Tech emphasized the importance of having access to industry experts. From on-site IT consulting to network management, F3 provides guidance and support on complicated issues, ensuring that operators have the right resources to tackle challenges. Their mission is to make IT services and set-up straight-forward, affordable, and transparent.
F3 Tech also hosted our amazing Rising Tides Community for our fun networking meet-up on the Saturday of the Show. It was great spending time in person with people we’ve developed deep connections with online.
🔟 Google Business Profile ‘What’s Happening’ Feature
Google introduced the “What’s Happening” section allowing businesses to highlight timely promotions, events, and specials directly in their Google Business Profile information panel. This feature aims to help restaurants communicate current offerings and attract customer interest effectively.
Google and our partners at Marqii also teamed up at the Show to for an “Office Hours” where they helped restaurant owners and operators optimize their profiles to take advantage of all the functions and features.
Will I See You Next Year?
The innovations showcased at the 2025 National Restaurant Show highlight the industry's ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to enhance operations, marketing, and customer engagement.
We look forward to exploring these tools further and sharing more insights with you on this Substack. Stay tuned for more updates and in-depth discussions on these technologies in our upcoming episodes.
Will I see you next year at the Show? Let me know!
– Shawn Walchef | @shawnpwalchef
This is a really helpful article. The Pepsi one in particular is fantastic!