{"id":7443,"date":"2026-03-16T07:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/?p=7443"},"modified":"2026-03-17T11:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T15:43:31","slug":"restaurants-canada-wraps-up-rc-show-2026-bringing-together-thousands-of-hospitality-leaders-at-their-new-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/fr\/restaurants-canada-wraps-up-rc-show-2026-bringing-together-thousands-of-hospitality-leaders-at-their-new-venue\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurants Canada wraps up RC Show 2026, bringing together thousands of hospitality leaders at their new venue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The annual trade event highlighted emerging events, operational insights, and the future of hospitality in Canada<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restaurants Canada<\/a> invited thousands of industry professionals to the RC Show 2026<\/a> 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\u2019s foodservice sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RC Show 2026 launched their theme Into the Beyond<\/em>, which focused on encouraging operators to move beyond outdated practices and prepare their businesses for a rapidly evolving landscape.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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery 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,\u201d said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s foodservice sector plays in the province\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to The International Centre in Mississauga, RC Show 2026 marked an exciting new chapter for Canada\u2019s leading foodservice and hospitality event, expanding into a venue designed to accommodate the show\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Programming took place across multiple stages, including the Speaker Stage, Culinary Stage, Bar and Beverage Stage, Pizza Stage, Coffee Stage and the Business Hub – \u2018Explore and Grow\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show\u2019s keynote lineup reflected the Into the Beyond theme and the evolving priorities of the hospitality sector. Chockie Tom<\/a>, 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<\/a>, 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<\/a>, Canadian astronaut and author, who spoke on leadership, adaptability and building resilient teams in times of rapid change, reminding attendees that \u201cstuff always goes wrong\u2014it\u2019s up to you to find a way to celebrate the things that go right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s competition winners are listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n