Lately the news is all about the hottest new boutique food trends. Whether it’s gourmet grass-fed meats or low-cal wraps and exotic flavored fro-yo the chic food trends are less traditional and more about incorporating fresh foods and healthier options into a quick service menu that will please the masses (whose palates are becoming more distinguished by the bite).

We’re moving away from comfort foods to smaller servings, more knowledge about our food from farm- to-table and consumers are responding to the explosion of new and varying options with enthusiasm. Words like “natural,” “organic,” “farm-raised” and “healthy” are spattering menu boards at food trucks, mall carts and restaurants around the nation. What does this all mean? Innovation will make your restaurant shine brightly for those fickle restaurant goers who are fast becoming more eclectic. Other things fueling restaurant prosperity are, you guessed it, more innovation.

Restaurants are building their following through social media pushes on Yelp, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for food pictures and restaurant sharing and Google+ where patrons can plus ping their favorite restaurant sites and share it with their networks. Fanatics bring your standing to new heights.

At this year’s NRA Show, innovation always takes the front seat not just in vendors sharing their wares, but also in the awards given to top restaurant operators. Three finalists will be honored in five categories surrounding innovation:

1. Sustainability
2. Technology
3. Food Safety
4. Health and Nutrition
5. Menu Development

Innovative thought is one thing. Many of us have brilliant ideas spinning through our heads. But it is the doers who get the brass ring. Here’s a bit of friendly advice from our team to yours as we just went through a stringent initiative to better our online shopping experience for our customers. Oh my, what a process when you have thousands of products serving hundreds of thousands of managers across the United States.

We are ecstatic to say it is done, and what we learned along the way is it all came down to discipline. Our vision was to create an amazing experience for each unique individual, because we know all of your restaurants are unique. Of course, delivering it was a bit more complicated than envisioned. Through perseverance and perspiration we prevailed.

So whatever you do dream. Dream big! The follow through is what defines you. Work with those who are innovators themselves. Support businesses that know your business and who can evolve with you-keeping up with you to sustain your current and fresh innovative spirit.