WA FRIES ARE A HIT AT NRA IN CHICAGO

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) Trade Show held its annual Trade Show in Chicago May 20-23, 2023. Serving up our delicious Washington fries and handing out our famous ceramic blade potato peelers and recipes, we are always a crowd favorite. After all, the potato is America’s favorite vegetable and side dish! Each year the NRA draws in thousands of foodservice professionals from around the globe. During the 4-day show, we gave away approximately 1,100 pounds of French fries and close to 6,000 sample servings to attendees.

We connected with many chefs with restaurants worldwide, restaurant operators, menu developers and many culinary teachers to help them connect with Washington potatoes. This year attendance was down slightly to about 55,000 from 60,000 last year. With the cost of inflation hitting restaurants, we were not surprised by the decrease in attendance. Popular this year at the show were a number of plant-based booths. And fortunate for the potato, we are the original plant-based food.