2025 Kitchen Innovations Awards: Recognizing Groundbreaking Advancements in Foodservice Industry

The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show has announced the 2025 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award winners. These awards recognize the most groundbreaking advancements in food service equipment and technology, addressing critical industry challenges and setting new standards for efficiency and performance. The award-winning products will be displayed at the Kitchen Innovations Showroom during the show, scheduled for May 17–20, 2025.

The show brings together a comprehensive cross-section of the foodservice industry, including equipment dealers, quick-service operators, educational institutions, and independent restaurant owners. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the KI Award-winning products and discover the latest trends, ingredients, and technologies in foodservice.

The 2025 Kitchen Innovations Award recipients are:

Origin™ Convection Ovens
Alto-Shaam, Inc.

BuffetBoost™ Warming Block
American Metalcraft

Automated Fresh Brew: SimpliciTea 1500
Appliance Innovation

Chillstream™ Undercounter Frozen Food Dispenser
Atosa USA, Inc.

OMM Automated Egg Cooker
Bridge Appliances

Carter-Hoffmann
CHrisper Station

RoboFry X4
Charter House Innovations

Scraegg Egg/Porridge/Soup Cooker
CookUp Group Inc.

Dual Fuel Gravity Charcoal Oven
Doyon

Digital Kitchen Application Platform
Ecolab

PFAS (PFOA/PFOS) Reduction Systems
Everpure from Pentair Water Solutions

Qeamer
Kitchenless

FIZZBOT™
Lab2Fab LLC

NEO Undercounter Ice Machine w Filtration
Manitowoc

MilkPal
Marco Beverage Systems

Metafoodx Platform for Foodservice Operations
Metafoodx

LongWave IR Oven
Middleby Marshall

Gravity Beverage Fountain System
Newton CFV

Total Oil Management by Open Kitchen
Powerhouse Dynamics

Grill Station Assistant
PreciTaste

Smart Kitchen System Hub
Renau Corporation

The Surface Unlimited Induction Table
Spring USA

Dynamic Response Refrigeration™ with Smart Control™
Traulsen

TRM - True Retail Merchandiser
True Manufacturing Co. Inc

Tom Cindric, President of Exhibitions for Informa Connect Foodservice, stated that the KI Awards celebrate solutions that are innovative and impactful for foodservice operations. The 2025 recipients demonstrate how technology and design are revolutionizing kitchen operations, enhancing consistency, and improving customer experiences.

The Kitchen Innovations Awards have a history spanning over two decades, recognizing foodservice equipment that addresses real-world challenges and drives progress across the industry. A panel of industry leaders, including representatives from global brands like Walt Disney World Resort, Aramark, and Cracker Barrel, evaluated each submission based on its real-world impact and lasting value to foodservice operators.

Richard Eisenbarth, President Emeritus at Cini-Little International and long-standing KI judge, emphasized that the 2025 Kitchen Innovations Awards spotlight solutions that embody the industry's evolution. These include AI-driven monitoring and productivity-enhancing robotics that are reshaping kitchens and helping restaurants adapt and excel in today's dynamic culinary landscape.

The Kitchen Innovations Awards have long been recognized as a defining moment for breakthrough foodservice technology. Being showcased at the National Restaurant Association Show allows these innovations to reach the buyers, dealers, and decision-makers who drive industry-wide adoption.

In addition to exploring the award-winning solutions, attendees can participate in programming focused on foodservice equipment. This includes the Discovery Theater Session, a discussion on how cutting-edge kitchen equipment is reshaping foodservice operations, and the Equipment Professionals Meetup, a networking opportunity for operators, consultants, and equipment specialists.