2027 Kitchen Innovations Awards Open for Applications

The National Restaurant Association Show has opened applications for the 2027 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, which recognize equipment that helps foodservice operators solve real-world operational challenges. Award recipients will be showcased in the KI Showroom at the event, taking place May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

From labor pressures and food safety to energy costs and speed of service, operators continue to look for practical ways to improve how their businesses run. This year, 60% of operators plan to make investments in equipment to enhance the customer experience, according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Restaurant Industry 2026 report. The KI Awards recognize solutions across areas including automation and robotics, integrated data systems, and off-premise service.

“The Kitchen Innovations Awards have always been about spotlighting the products that solve the real, everyday challenges our operators face — labor pressures, food safety, energy costs, and speed of service,” said Tom Cindric, president of exhibitions for Informa Connect Foodservice Group, the company that produces the show. “Every year, this program gives the industry a trusted, curated look at the technologies genuinely moving foodservice forward, and it gives the innovators behind them the recognition they've earned.”

The 2027 KI Awards will be judged by a panel of leaders in foodservice operations, design, and consulting, including:

• Dan Bendall (principal, FoodStrategy, Inc.)
• Cha Nye Farley (director of facilities, Cedartown Foods, LLC)
• Christine Guyott, FCSI, RDN (executive principal/partner, Rippe Associates)
• Frank Inoa (vice president, design, engineering, and equipment innovation, Inspire Brands)
• Jim Krueger Jr., CMCE, NRAMF (chief, Air Force and U.S. Space Force Food and Beverage, Air Force Services Center)
• Phillip Landgraf, FCSI (executive principal, Ricca Design Studios)
• Juan Martinez, Ph.D., FCSI (principal, Profitality Labor Guru)
• Alfred Spear (manager, food and beverage program design and development, Walt Disney World Resort)

Applications for the 2027 KI Awards are open through Dec. 16, 2026. Award recipients will be announced in February 2027. For more information and to apply, visit www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/kitchen-innovations-application.