Before anything else, we just want to say congratulations to the entire Restaurants Canada team. What they put together every year for this industry is genuinely impressive. It takes a lot to pull off an event at that scale, and they do it year after year. That deserves to be said out loud.
If you're making the trip to Toronto this weekend, enjoy it. The conversations on the floor, the demos, the people you run into that you haven't seen since last year... that's the stuff that actually moves this industry forward.
Now, if you're going to the RC Show, I want you to find one specific booth.
Ask for Edwin.
Edwin Cabural is the Director of Sales and Show Manager for NEXT Food Expo, and he'll be there all three days. If you've been curious about what's happening in Western Canada this fall, he's your guy.
NEXT Food Expo launched in September 2025 at the BMO Centre in Calgary and it filled a gap that Western Canadian operators had been feeling for a long time. Chefs, restaurateurs, buyers, bartenders, vendors... the people who work in this industry in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba finally had a show built for them. The feedback from year one was exactly what you'd hope for. One exhibitor said it best: "NEXT feels like what the industry has been missing."
Year two is coming fast.
NEXT Food Expo 2026 September 13-14, 2026 BMO Centre, Stampede Park in Calgary 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days, with the Sunday Night Mixer kicking off at 4:00 p.m.
The 2026 show is bigger. A full Culinary Stage, a dedicated Bar Stage, an expanded Innovation Lab, Panels and Fireside Chats, and a Marketing Content Studio for operators who want help building their digital presence. There's a lot happening.
If you're a vendor who wants to reach Western Canadian buyers, or an operator wondering what NEXT can do for your team, or a supplier thinking about the prairie market, the RC Show is the place to have that conversation before the fall.
Booth 1279. Ask for Edwin.
And to everyone at Restaurants Canada... This upcoming 3 days is yours. We'll see you on the floor. 👊
