Mark your calendars. The Orda team is going to Chicago this October for the SHFM 47th National Conference, the annual gathering of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management. It is the one place where corporate dining operators, self-operators, client liaisons, chefs and technology partners all show up in the same building for three days.
We will be there presenting and demoing our new solution for corporate and office dining. If you run workplace dining programs, or you are the person at a company who is responsible for the employee dining experience, we would love to meet you.
The essentials
- What: SHFM 2026 National Conference
- When: Tuesday, October 6 to Thursday, October 8, 2026
- Where: Palmer House, 17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
- Register: Conference registration is open now, and early bird pricing closes September 9
SHFM represents an industry that serves roughly two billion meals a day in more than 10,000 business communities across the United States. The conference is intentionally compact, which means you get real conversations rather than badge scans.
What is on the agenda
SHFM has published a full three-day program. Here are the highlights we are most excited about, with links to the official day pages so you can plan your own schedule.
Tuesday, October 6: networking day
Tuesday is built around meeting people. The day opens early with the SHFM Foundation Golf Tournament at Harborside International Golf Center, and there are optional Chicago experiences during the day, including a Chicago River architecture tour and a Chicago favorites food tour.
In the afternoon, the Spark Session "Career Success? Yes, and... Joy and the Intentional Journey" is open to all attendees, followed by a New Member and First-Time Attendee reception. The evening ends with the opening reception, "A Taste of Chicago: Tailgate Edition," hosted offsite at Theater on the Lake, where SHFM's culinary advisors and culinary rising stars do the cooking.
Wednesday, October 7: keynotes and the Innovation Showcase
Wednesday starts with the opening general session, "Unlocking Limitless Possibility: The Power of Yes, and..." with keynote speaker Seb Terry. Then comes the first window of the Innovation Showcase, the conference exhibit floor where operators meet food, equipment and technology partners. SHFM has announced a new Technology Village inside the showcase this year, an interactive hub focused on the future of workplace hospitality. That is exactly where Orda's story lives.
The afternoon general session, "Yes-and... Getting Practical with A.I.," is a hands-on working session, so bring a laptop or tablet. Wednesday also features the President's Luncheon honoring this year's SHFM award winners, the Hunger Games charity team competition benefiting Care for Real, and an open "Experience Chicago" evening followed by the Empire Dessert Lounge and nightcap back at the Palmer House.
Thursday, October 8: partnership and the future
Thursday opens with "Vested: The Art of the Partnership," a general session with Kate Vitasek on building true partnerships between clients and suppliers. The final Innovation Showcase window follows, with the Innovation Showcase Awards announced at lunch. The closing keynote, "The Future of Foodservice 2036" with Mike Lee, looks ten years ahead at how workplace dining will change. The conference wraps with the President's Reception and Banquet, where the SHFM gavel passes to the incoming president.
You can browse the complete list of speakers on the presenters page.
What Orda is bringing to Chicago
We are using SHFM 2026 to present and demo our new corporate and office dining solution, built for hospitality operators who serve corporate clients and for employers who want workplace dining to be a reason to come to the office.
Here is what you will be able to see and try:
- Self-ordering kiosks with Orda Express, customized per client and per location
- Barcode scanning for grab-and-go items with the Socket Mobile S320 contactless scanner
- Integrated scale for salad bars and hot bars, with automatic tare and instant pricing
- Receipt and kitchen printing so orders flow to the right place
- Subsidy programs that apply employer meal benefits at checkout
- Loyalty points that reward employees for every purchase
- NFC identification so employees tap a badge or phone and check out in seconds
The solution is already live in workplace dining environments in New York City with Great Performances, serving clients including Silverstein Properties and the Rockefeller Foundation. We will walk through how those deployments were customized and what the results look like at the lunch rush.
Let's meet at SHFM
Three days go by fast, so we are booking meetings ahead of time. If you want a dedicated walkthrough of the corporate dining solution, or you simply want to compare notes on where workplace dining is heading, pick a time to meet with us and we will make it happen in Chicago.
Not attending this year? You can still see the solution on our corporate dining page or book a remote demo at any time.
See you at the Palmer House.
