McCain Foodservice, Nestlé Professional, New York Bakery Company, Southern Wine Roads, The FoodFellas, Twinings, UCC Coffee, and Young’s Seafood are just some of exhibitors competing for Innovation Challenge Awards at this year’s sold out Casual Dining show, which returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 24-25 February.

All products and services entered into the 2016 Innovation Challenge – designed to promote the best new casual dining innovations over the last twelve months – will have to win over the show’s visitors (including key buyers and decision makers from across the casual dining restaurant and pub sector) before making it through to the exciting live final.

Voting opens from 10am on Wednesday 24 February (the first day of the show) at the Innovation Challenge Gallery on the upper feature level.  Entrants securing the most votes before 4pm that day (one per visitor) will then be invited to ‘pitch’ their new innovations to a panel of industry judges in the Keynote Theatre the following day (at 12.30pm on Thursday 25 February, with the results to be announced at 2.45pm).

Returning judges include leading pub and restaurant entrepreneur Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive at Oakman Inns & Restaurants; Brian Whiting, owner of Whiting & Hammond; and Keith Bird, chief operating officer at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

“Casual Dining is a hotbed of innovation…the most focused, most relevant, the best show of the year,” says GBK’s Keith Bird.

Casual Dining Innovation Challenge entries include:

• Prep Premium FireHouse – AAK Foodservice
• Marinated Potatoes – Aviko UK
• Gentleman’s Platter – Bar Foods
• Future of Dispense – Brewfitt
• Fat Free Frozen Yogurt Smoothie Base – Coolicious Frozen Yogurt
• Dairy Free Coconut & Mango Ice Cream – DiSotto Foods
• Just Add – JDM Food Group
• Chef’s Pass Liquid Onion Reduction – Kerry Chef’s Pass
• Sorriso Roasted Tomato Pesto – L'Aquila London
• Coconut LOVO – LOVO
• McCain Signatures Skin-on Fries – McCain Foodservice
• British Chicken Ballotine – Moy Park Foodservice
• Nestlé^® Coolpro™ CTS230 – Nestlé Professional   
• Bagel Sandwich Thins – New York Bakery Company
• Gluten Free Pastry Cases – Pidy
• Bee Me – rexmartins
• Monovarietal Grape Marc Distillates – Southern Wine Roads
• Frozen Individual Avocado Halves – The FoodFellas
• The Oval Eco Street Bowl – Tri-Star Packaging
• Twinings Chocolate Cookie Tea Shake – Twinings
• Ueshima’s Double Expresso Coffee – UCC Coffee UK & Ireland
• Young’s Premium Scottish Salmon Fillet in a Sweet Chilli & Ginger Butter Sauce – Young’s Seafood

Innovation Challenge Awards aside, the multi–award winning trade event for casual dining restaurant, pub and bar operators, will see 170 leading suppliers – including food and drink, catering equipment, interior design, furniture, table top, POS technology and services – vying for business across three floors of exhibition space. 

“Innovation is the life blood of the casual dining market.  We can all benefit from the huge advances in innovation, product development and technology.  Casual Dining has a great number of these suppliers on offer and is definitely worth the journey,” says Tim Foster, head of being awesome at The Yummy Pub Co.

The full exhibitor list is available to view at www.casualdiningshow.co.uk/exhibitor-list