At the end of October, ACityDiscount exhibited at the Southeast’s premier foodservice and hospitality tradeshow, the Atlanta Foodservice Expo (AFSE). Now in its third year, the AFSE was held on Oct. 19th & 20th in Exhibit Hall C at the Georgia World Congress Center. Monday and Tuesday are often the most ideal time for restaurateurs, managers, and chefs to get away from the kitchen, and this year’s event drew quite a diverse crowd.
The ACityDiscount Booth (#406)
This year, the ACityDiscount booth was bigger and better than ever! Located in booth #406 adjacent to the Georgia Restaurant Association, the ACityDiscount booth was a smash hit for the third year in a row! Attendees flocked to the ACityDiscount booth, especially after finding out about all of the freebies being given away! Members of our sales and marketing teams were on-hand giving away cutting boards and commercial refrigerator thermometers, as well as signing show attendees up for an opportunity to win a raffle for a 3 piece Dexter-Russell carving set.
The ACityDiscount booth at this year’s AFSE was visited by a very diverse selection of show attendees. Over the course of the show’s two days, ACityDiscount team members spoke with culinary students, caterers, chefs, concession operators, and a tremendous number of business owners in search of equipment. The event was an excellent opportunity to showcase the ACityDiscount brand, and allowed our staff to meet local and regional customers that have yet to visit our showroom. We also spoke with a number of local food and beverage suppliers, contractors, and other companies to better understand the evolving needs of restaurant and foodservice operators.
This year’s booth featured a wealth of must-have equipment for standard brick & mortar operations. A range from Southbend, a Moffat convection oven, several countertop pieces from Star Manufacturing’s Ultra-Max line, and a Globe mixer were some of the more notable pieces on the show floor. The biggest draw by far, especially for those working in the commercial BOH, was our display sample of Turbo Air Refrigeration’s self-cleaning condenser.
ACityDiscount would like to congratulate Kimberly Baytops from Tops Catering & Events on winning our raffle for a 3-piece Dexter-Russell carving set! Thanks to all that visited the booth to enter!
Takeaways From The 2015 AFSE
This year’s AFSE featured a lot of new vendors. While there were a number of repeat exhibitors at this year’s expo, there were some new faces and new products this year. In addition to AFSE staples like Cheney Brothers, True Refrigeration, and of course, ACityDiscount, there were new wine and spirit providers, construction / design companies, and a number of other services that can be integral in opening a new business.
There were some new items that definitely made a splash at this year’s event. Coffee lovers were in there element, as both Blue Donkey Coffee, Community Coffee, and Royal Cup Coffee were on hand serving up a variety of java, and Royal Cup’s nitro brew definitely had attendees returning for more. A number of food providers were offering samples of things like bacon, gelato, and cheesecake which helped show attendees balance the countless samples of wine, beer, and spirits. Cleveland Whiskey’s Black Cherrywood aged bourbon and Athens’ Creature Comforts brewery’s Tropicalia were among the favorite beverages on hand, and additionally, Georgia’s Pecan Ridge Plantation made quite a splash displaying their pecans, pecan oil, and luxurious pecan truffles.
ACityDiscount's AFSE 2015 Thank You's
Without assistance from many of our favorite equipment and supply vendors, ACityDiscount’s booth would not be possible. ACityDiscount would like to thank our employees for all of their hard work putting the show together, and the following manufacturers and representatives as well:
- Turbo Air Refrigeration / Andrew Kim
- Southbend Range / Jeff Frishman / Pace & Associates
- Moffat / Junior Toler / Empire Marketing Group
- Pitco / Mark Lang / PMR
- Metro / Ashlee Myhres / Carman Girard & Associates
- Dexter-Russell / Shane Conrad
- San Jamar
- ITI / Leslie McIntyre / Repsource
- Star Manufacturing / Amanda McGuffin-Noll
- Nemco / Jill Provines
- H&D Furniture / Charles Zhang
- Globe Food Equipment / Kelly Utley
ACityDiscount would also like to thank all of those individuals that attended the show. For more pictures from our two days at the Atlanta Foodservice Expo, stop by the ACityDiscount Facebook page.