CHICAGO, IL - Restaurants will continue to thrive by empowering a future-ready workforce and embracing technology to unleash breakthrough efficiency in a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace. This was the message of National Restaurant Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo during her keynote address delivered to attendees at the annual National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Korsmo emphasized to the owners, operators, and suppliers present that the path forward requires investing in people and adopting technologies that enhance the restaurant experience.

“We should celebrate the nearly 16 million people who make up this workforce. The competition for talent is fierce. It’s not just about filling jobs; it’s about inspiring people to choose this industry, to see it as a career that offers purpose and fulfillment,” said Korsmo during her remarks.

Empowering a Future-Ready Workforce

According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report, 60 percent of food service employees are under 35. This generation craves more than just a paycheck. They’re looking for a community and workplaces that value developing the potential in their teams, provide flexibility, and use technology to improve the employee and customer experience.

Korsmo highlighted the restaurant industry’s unique role as both a training ground and a launchpad for meaningful careers. She pointed to programs like ProStart®, where high school students gain hands-on culinary and business experience that prepares them to be the next generation of industry leaders.

Unleashing Breakthrough Efficiency

“Gone are the days when restaurant operators could simply balance the checkbook at the end of the month to know if they were profitable. Today, meeting the demands of the modern restaurant environment requires a whole new level of insights and tools. That means tighter control over inventory, smarter purchasing decisions, and more strategic supply chain management. It also means managing labor costs more effectively, with better scheduling, predictive tools, and automation that enhances operations, rather than replacing people,” said Korsmo.

Leveraging technology is key, and Korsmo noted that 83 percent of restaurant operators say that using technology provides a clear competitive advantage and 4 in 10 say their tech investments have directly improved overall customer satisfaction. As labor and food costs continue to rise, Korsmo noted, improving efficiency can be the difference between struggling and staying profitable.

Korsmo closed her remarks by emphasizing that consumers continue to love the restaurant experience and are choosing to spend their discretionary dollars in restaurants – with sales projected to reach $1.5 trillion this year and strong demand across every segment of the industry. Korsmo encouraged restaurant operators to get involved and let their voices be heard, noting that there is no better advocate for the restaurant industry.

Read Korsmo’s full remarks here.