Texas Restaurant Association

Will you be at the Texas Restaurant Show July 12-13 in San Antonio? Early bird pricing ends TOMORROW! Don’t miss your chance to attend one of the 50 Fastest Growing Trade Shows in North America!

And don’t forget: if you’re a TRA restaurant/bar member, you and your staff register FREE!

Grab your badge now: https://fthr-content.txrestaurant.org/Show26social

And that’s a wrap on our 2026 TRA Texas Tour!

A special thank you to the Lubbock Chapter - Texas Restaurant Association and the Panhandle Chapter - Texas Restaurant Association for hosting our final two stops, and for the incredibly gracious welcome we received! And a tremendous thank you to all chapters who hosted us, asked questions, and showed us why our members are at the heart of everything we do!

During the Tour, TRA president and CEO Dr. Emily Williams Knight and Public Affairs Officer Kelsey Erickson Streufert traveled more than 5,500 miles across Texas to meet with hundreds of restaurant operators and dozens of elected officials.

As we begin preparing for next year’s 90th Texas Legislative Session, we want to build on what we heard across the state and ensure operators continue to have a seat at the table. Whether we met you on the 2026 Texas Tour or not, we want to know what challenges you are facing today and what changes would make it easier to operate and grow your business in Texas. Please take a few minutes to complete our advocacy survey; your voice matters! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TRA2026Advocacy

Attending this year’s Texas Restaurant Show? Join us at the Texas Restaurant Awards on July 12th to honor the best and brightest in the Texas Restaurant industry!

Ticket sales benefit the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s work to fuel the future of hospitality. Get your tickets now before they sell out at: https://tobi.tobincenter.org/Online/seatSelect.asp?createBO::WSmap=1&BOparam::WSmap::loadBestAvailable::performance_ids=8BCA988E-A534-46EB-BB43-53B19722323B

Tapas, anyone?

The Lone Star Tapas Showdown is coming to the Texas Restaurant Show and will spotlight top culinary talent from across the state to pursue a pathway to international recognition.

Do your skills have what it takes to become a champion? Learn more and apply by June 15! https://txrestaurantshow.com/Show/Show/Explore/Lone-Star-Tapas-Showdown.aspx

We recently attended the National Restaurant Association Show to meet with restaurant industry pros from across the country! We loved getting to see industry friends all in one place (and, of course, to sample some delicious food!)

A special thanks to the California Restaurant Association and Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association for co-hosting another fantastic Restaurants Connect event with us. We were honored to share insights that are shaping the future of hospitality!

Join us in celebrating this year’s TRA Hall of Honor inductees!

Robert & Laurie Lozano, F&P Group
Tap Bentz, Another Broken Egg Cafe
Jerry Walker, Conference Hospitality Group (Retired)

Nominated by their peers, these incredible individuals will receive the Association's highest honor in recognition of a lifetime of work and contribution to our industry.

They will be honored at this year's Texas Restaurant Awards in San Antonio the evening of July 12. Get your tickets now to join us in person!
https://tinyurl.com/ykmkjkzk

A huge thank you to the Brazos Valley Chapter - Texas Restaurant Association and the Greater Austin Chapter - Texas Restaurant Association for hosting us during our latest Texas Tour stops!

Now through June, our CEO and president, Dr. Emily Williams Knight, and our chief public affairs officer, Kelsey Erickson Streufert, are traveling the state to meet with public policy officials, lawmakers, and industry pros at these town halls curated for you. Thank you for making your voices heard.

We want to see you at our next stops! View the full tour schedule at: https://www.txrestaurant.org/texastour

It’s official: TRA has received its award as one of the Fastest-Growing Trade Shows in the United States in Trade Show Executive ’s 2025 Fastest 50 rankings!

Don’t miss your chance to attend the biggest Texas Restaurant Show yet! https://fthr-content.txrestaurant.org/Show26social

One of our longest-standing partners, Heartland, is now operating under the Global Payments name as part of a unified brand transition. While the name is changing, your services, support, and partnership remain the same.

Learn more about how Global Payments and Genius can help your business succeed: https://go.heartland.us/sra?utm_source=partner_platform&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sra_channel_partner_texas&utm_content=partner_page

It’s time to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of a major legislative victory for Texas restaurants!

Thanks to your support of TRA, alcohol to-go became permanently legal in Texas as of May 12, 2021, thanks to the passage of HB 1024 to support restaurants during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many other states only made this a temporary measure, TRA helped make it PERMANENT in Texas.

We couldn’t have done it without YOU.

Don’t miss your chance to attend the Texas Restaurant Show, with the new Bar and Nightclub Showcase featuring an additional 100 exhibitors!

Get your badge at https://fthr-content.txrestaurant.org/Show26social