Restaurants Canada wraps up RC Show 2026, bringing together thousands of hospitality leaders at their new venue

The annual trade event highlighted emerging events, operational insights, and the future of hospitality in Canada

Restaurants Canada invited thousands of industry professionals to the RC Show 2026 this past week at a new venue, The International Centre in Mississauga. The three-day trade event, which took place from March 8 to 10, brought together industry leaders, operators, and suppliers from across the country to discuss trends, innovation and the future of Canada’s foodservice sector.

RC Show 2026 launched their theme Into the Beyond, which focused on encouraging operators to move beyond outdated practices and prepare their businesses for a rapidly evolving landscape. Programming throughout the event emphasized reinvention, operational resilience, emerging techniques, meaningful guest experiences and the role of hospitality in strengthening culture, community and the national economy.

“Every single day, 23 million people in Canada make a purchase from a foodservice establishment. This is a $125-billion sector woven into the economic and social fabric of our country, and RC Show is where the industry comes together to shape what comes next,” said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined Restaurants Canada leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on opening day, officially launching RC Show 2026 and recognizing the important role Canada’s foodservice sector plays in the province’s economy.

Returning to The International Centre in Mississauga, RC Show 2026 marked an exciting new chapter for Canada’s leading foodservice and hospitality event, expanding into a venue designed to accommodate the show’s growing scale. Spanning 548,000 square feet of flexible event space, including more than 500,000 square feet of single-level exhibit halls and a 48,000-square-foot conference centre, the venue offered ample room for exhibitors, programming and networking across the three-day event. Across five curated halls and more than 1,300 booths, exhibitors showcased products, services and solutions spanning food, beverage, equipment, technology and sustainability.

RC Show 2026 welcomed over 25,000 hospitality and foodservice professionals over three days alongside 160+ culinary leaders, presenters and hospitality changemakers, taking part in panels, keynote discussions and education sessions exploring the trends and ideas shaping the future of hospitality.

Programming took place across multiple stages, including the Speaker Stage, Culinary Stage, Bar and Beverage Stage, Pizza Stage, Coffee Stage and the Business Hub – ‘Explore and Grow’ Stages for Restaurants. Sessions addressed workforce development, labour needs, sustainability, profitability, artificial intelligence, supply chain pressures and consumer trends. The show opened with the RC Show 2026 opening ceremony and featured keynote presentations throughout the three days, including Independent Restaurants Day, Women in Hospitality Day and Tech and Innovation Day programming with a closing keynote delivered by Colonel Chris Hadfield.

The show’s keynote lineup reflected the Into the Beyond theme and the evolving priorities of the hospitality sector. Chockie Tom, Indigenous hospitality advocate and founder of The Cornsilk Road, delivered the Bar and Beverage keynote, speaking on reconnection and building sustainable, responsible systems for the future. Janet Zuccarini, founder and CEO of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group, headlined Women in Hospitality Day with a keynote focused on scaling with creativity and fostering future-ready leadership. The show concluded with a keynote address from Colonel Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut and author, who spoke on leadership, adaptability and building resilient teams in times of rapid change, reminding attendees that “stuff always goes wrong—it’s up to you to find a way to celebrate the things that go right.”

Live culinary and beverage competitions were held throughout the event, including the Garland Canada Culinary Competition, Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition in traditional and creative categories, the NEW Great Burger Showdown, the Beyond the Rail Cocktail Competition, the John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition in professional and amateur divisions, and the three-day Canadian Latte Art Championship.

This year’s competition winners are listed below:

• Garland Canada Culinary Competition: 1st Place – Steven Che , 2nd Place – Raymond Mock, 3rd Place – Catherine Frenette
• Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition – Traditional: 1st Place – Paulo Guerra, 2nd Place – Rafael Quinana (Breakwall Brewing Company), 3rd Place – Jeremy Paone
• Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition – Creative: 1st Place – Johnny McEvoy, 2nd Place – Egan Meredith, 3rd Place – Kishanth Jeyakumar
• The Great Burger Showdown: 1st Place – Kemuel Lawrence-Hall (Galaxy Burger), 2nd Place – Gene Carpenter (Atomic Burger), 3rd Place – Kyle Stewart (The RouxBarb)
• Beyond the Rail Cocktail Competition: 1st Place – Samantha Anastasi (Bar Kensei and BarChef), 2nd Place – Brian Liew (Slice of Life and Compton Ave), 3rd Place – Hannah Kivlin (Spencer’s at the Waterfront)
• John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition – Professional : 1st Place – Chris Manocchio (Rodney’s Oyster House), 2nd Place – Juan Felipe Portillo (Rodney’s Oyster House), 3rd Place – Anand Dosani (Diana’s Markham)
• John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition – Amateur: 1st place – Tyler Hibberd (Elora Mill), 2nd Place – Jason Smyth (Heart of Niagara Hotels)
• Canadian Latte Art Championship: 1st Place –  Arthur Chen, 2nd Place – Iris So, 3rd Place – Kai Lee

In addition to competitions and keynote programming, the show featured curated pop-up bar takeovers, business education sessions and networking events. Highlights included the Yes Shef tasting event, an electrifying celebration showcasing some of Ontario’s most exciting women chefs, bartenders and hospitality leaders, as well as the dish. Networking Reception, an exclusive gathering that brought together women across the hospitality industry to connect, share experiences and build community ahead of the Women in Hospitality Day keynote. The three-day event concluded with the RC Show Booth Awards, recognizing standout innovation and exhibitor excellence across the show floor, with the Embassy of Peru to Canada taking home Best Small Booth, Get Cracking earning Best Large Booth, NuBeverage winning Best Experience and Paradise Fields named Best New Exhibitor.

For more information, visit www.rcshow.com.

Official RC Show 2026 photography can be accessed here.
Photo credit: Savage Media Group Inc.

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RC Show

RC Show, produced and hosted annually by Restaurants Canada, is the nation’s leading foodservice and hospitality event. Held at The International Centre in Mississauga, it draws 25,000+ industry professionals for three dynamic days of connection and discovery. The show highlights the most innovative products, emerging trends, and transformative ideas through world-class speakers, leadership panels, live competitions, hands-on workshops, immersive events, and unmatched networking opportunities. A one-stop destination for the tools and insights to grow foodservice businesses and shape the future of the industry, RC Show is not to be missed. Learn more at www.rcshow.com.

To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to support Restaurants Canada’s work on behalf of the Canadian foodservice industry, contact Restaurant Canada’s Sponsorship Team at sponsorship@restaurantscanada.org.

Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing Canada’s diverse and dynamic foodservice industry. Restaurants are a $125 billion industry employing nearly 1.2 million Canadians and the number one source of first-time jobs in Canada. Visit restaurantscanada.org for more information. 

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