Beyond the Booth: All About Killer Brownie® at the 2024 National Restaurant Show
Killer Brownie® exhibited at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.
The National Restaurant Association Show (NRA) is a gathering of Foodservice and retail professionals who network, share ideas, and explore the unique innovations and trends shaping the industry.
Killer Brownie® had the pleasure of attending the 2024 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago!
This was the third year we’ve attended the show, which is always a blast. We enjoyed meeting new people, reconnecting with current partners, and sharing our brownies with the attendees. We especially loved being able to showcase two new flavors: Strawberry Shortcake and Caramel Macchiato—both of which received plenty of positive comments!
If you’ve ever considered attending the National Restaurant Association Show, let this blog post be your insider’s look at some of the great experiences the show has to offer! We’ll dive into a brief history of the show, this year’s exciting happenings, and what Killer Brownie® showcased for the attendees.
The 2024 National Restaurant Association Show
What is the NRA Show?
The National Restaurant Association began in Kansas City in 1916 as a professional organization for restaurateurs. Foodservice was still in its infancy, and the Kansas City Restaurant Association was formed to support the industry's expected nationwide growth.
After a successful egg boycott organized by the organization, the Restaurant Association became nationally recognized. The first National Restaurant Association meeting was held on March 13, 1919, in Kansas City. At the time, they represented an industry of 43,000 restaurants nationwide. The first convention was held in December of that year and boasted 200 registrants across 14 states.
Today, over 100 years after its founding, the National Restuarant Association is the nation’s second-largest private-sector industry. With a vast membership of trailblazers and innovators, the NRA Show is an exciting gathering of professionals willing and ready to learn, grow, and achieve success together.
The NRA Show is all about making connections and sharing information. When you attend, you gain access to a wealth of industry knowledge through networking opportunities, lectures, and demonstrations on the latest food trends and technologies. You’ll also have the chance to connect with suppliers, and if you’re a manufacturer, you can exhibit your products to share them with potential customers.
About the 2024 Show
This year, there were over 2,000 exhibitors across 900 industry categories, highlighting game-changing products and technologies to elevate businesses.
Additionally, the NRA Show had several curated pavilions, like the Global Food Expo, which showcased food trends from across the globe. The Organic and Natural Pavilion was all about organic products and ingredients, which was perfect for the steady increase in consumer interest in organic and plant-based products.
Start-Up Alley is another fantastic show element! This area of the show was dedicated to new businesses creating innovative tech that is taking the industry by storm.
Killer Brownie® at the NRA Show
Killer Brownie® has attended the National Restaurant Association Show for the past three years, and a lot has changed, especially in distribution, since our very first showcase in 2022.
Killer Updates
Our brand awareness has increased in recent years, leading to more attendees being familiar with our product than they have been in the past.
“More people [came] back and [said] they heard about the product, or they [wanted] to try it, or they’ve been following us on social media,” Chimene Ross, President of Killer Brownie® said. “So, it’s really exciting to see more familiarity in the restaurant and Foodservice space.”
The most exciting change we’ve made since our last show is our partnership with DOT Foods. We were proud to announce this fantastic partnership with DOT in March. It was a question we received often from NRA Show attendees in 2023, so it is a welcome addition to our distribution capabilities. It allows us to serve smaller companies and offer Killer Brownies® to businesses we wouldn’t be able to serve otherwise.
Killer Brownies® at the Show
We were proud to showcase our entire collection of best-selling retail-ready products, like our brownie bars and bites. Our individually wrapped collection is our fastest-growing collection, so we exhibited every flavor, including the newly available Kitchen Sink.
For restaurants and Foodservice, we showcased our easy-to-handle slabs and presented how a customer could use the product to build a beautiful bakery case display. Whether customers choose to decorate them or not, the layers of a Killer Brownie® make them a show-stopping dessert in a bakery case or on a dessert menu.
We offered plenty of samples at NRA this year in various best selling flavors. We also included our newest flavors for spring and winter:
Strawberry Shortcake Killer Brownie®—a rich brownie featuring a layer of strawberry blonde brownie with creamy white chocolate chips mixed in, a center layer of buttery caramel sprinkled with real strawberries, baked atop a sugar cookie base.
Caramel Macchiato Killer Brownie®—a decadent winter dessert featuring coffee-infused layers of rich chocolate chip brownie and buttery blonde brownie, baked with creamy caramel and white chocolate chips in the center.
Chimene shared several of the comments she heard among the praise we received from those who visited our booth, including:
For over 100 years, the National Restaurant Association Show has crafted an exhibition filled with great products and a wealth of knowledge. It’s a great way to try new products, connect with others, and hear from some of the leading professionals in the Foodservice industry. Attendees walk away with great memories and a taste for unique, gourmet brownies, if they visit the Killer Brownie® booth.
We had a great time at this year’s show and hope to continue showcasing decadent, low-labor products at many more trade shows in the future!