FCSI - The Americas

12.75 CEUs in two days. How To Spec Live is this Thursday and Friday (Sept 24-25) at the Food Service Technology Center in Pleasanton, CA. Panel discussions and live demos across seven equipment categories, from ventilation to fryers, so you leave knowing exactly what to write into your next spec. Details and registration:
https://fcsita.org/event/how-to-spec-live/

How To Spec Live - FCSI The Americas Provided by Foodservice Equipment Reports 12.75 CEUs available Join How To Spec Live for panel discussions and equipment demonstrations laser-focused on how to select equipment in seven categories: ventilation, induction, fryers, ice machines, walk-ins, combi ovens and high-speed ovens. Come away wi...

Kitchens are shrinking dramatically, not just a little. That's the reality Chris Wair of Reitano Design Group lays out in FCSI's new whitepaper on designing high-performance kitchens with less space. Smaller batches, more frequent production, four burners instead of six, and equipment that pulls double duty. Read the whitepaper:
https://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/worldwide/whitepaper-designing-high-performance-kitchens-with-less-space

Whitepaper: Designing high-performance kitchens with less space - Foodservice Consultants Society International As kitchen footprints shrink, foodservice consultants are finding smart solutions to deliver quality, efficiency and flexibility, as Jim Banks explores in this whitepaper

Help shape Symposium 2027! 💡

FCSI The Americas is heading to Orlando February 9–10, 2027, ahead of The NAFEM Show, and we want YOUR ideas for educational sessions.

Have a topic the industry needs to be talking about? From AI, technology and sustainability to efficiency, industry trends, workforce challenges and beyond, we want to hear it.

Submit your session idea by August 21:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9CFKKPG

2027 Symposium Call for Session Topics and Presenters

You didn't build your expertise alone. Don't build your career alone either.

FCSI is the only foodservice consulting society of its kind in the world — 1,000+ members across more than 35 countries. Membership means professional recognition, client referrals, continuing education, and a network of peers who actually understand the work you do.

Consultant, corporate, associate, or student — there's a membership type built for where you are right now.

Find yours: https://fcsita.org/membership-information-applications/

Membership Information & Applications - FCSI The Americas Membership Information & Applications BECOME A MEMBER Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) is the vital link between the many professionals working in the foodservice industry. Specialists like you – practitioners in layout and design, planning, research, training, technology, oper...

The family restaurants, casual diners, and coffee shops that hold neighborhoods together are vanishing — and not because they failed to innovate.

Columnist Marius Zürcher argues the middle market doesn't need to reinvent itself as a discount brand or a curated destination. It needs balance: affordable entry points alongside premium options, menus that actually welcome plant-based guests, and the discipline to stop chasing every trend.

Because a neighborhood without cafés and pubs isn't just a neighborhood with fewer places to eat. It's a neighborhood with fewer places to connect.

Read it: https://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/worldwide/blog-saving-the-middle-market-of-foodservice/

Blog: Saving the ‘middle’ market of foodservice - Foodservice Consultants Society International If the backbone of hospitality is disappearing, here’s how we bring it back, says columnist Marius Zürcher

Still haven't opened the 2026 FCSI The Americas Project Showcase? You're missing 12 of the best projects our consultant members have delivered.

A Ravens game-day club built for luxury and durability. An airport taco restaurant designed to stop travelers in their tracks. A casino dining operation at Wind Creek Chicago Southland. Senior living, healthcare, workplace dining, and more — every one a real case study in the challenges consultants solved to get there.

This is what FCSI expertise looks like in practice.

Read the full 2026 edition: https://pubs.royle.com/publication/?i=861101&p=0&view=issueViewer

Project Showcase • FCSI 2026 •

Consultant Members, are your CEUs up to date?

Maintaining your FCSI membership means staying current with continuing education requirements:
• Professional Members: 12 CEUs
• Senior Associate Members: 6 CEUs
• Associate Members: 3 CEUs

The FCSI Education Provider Program makes earning your required credits simple. Choose from webinars, factory tours, seminars, set-date events, flexible-date programs, and more. Every program is preapproved, and once completed, your CEUs are automatically added to your journal by FCSI Headquarters.

Explore available programs and keep your professional development on track throughout the year.

📊 You spoke. We listened.

The results of the FCSI 2026 Audience Survey are in — and they say a lot about what matters most to our global community. Networking topped the list for 82% of members, and 68% specify over $1M in equipment annually. Find out what else our members had to say and what it means for the future of FCSI.

👉 https://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/worldwide/fcsi-audience-survey-2026-results-revealed/

FCSI audience survey 2026 results revealed - Foodservice Consultants Society International Networking was the top engagement driver for the FCSI member community, while diversity remains a key strength for the global network, reports Lauren Hurrell

🌍 What's making waves in foodservice this week?

From Compass Group posting record-breaking growth and Jollibee winning America's fried chicken crown for the third year running, to a Michelin-starred chef facing jail time for garnishing with ants 🐜 — this week's Global Foodservice Focus covers it all in one quick read.

👉 https://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/worldwide/the-global-foodservice-focus-101/

The Global Foodservice Focus - Foodservice Consultants Society International A weekly round-up of hospitality and foodservice news and announcements from across the world

📰 Stay in the know! Direct Connection, the FCSI The Americas monthly e-newsletter, is your go-to source for member news, industry updates, board communications, and educational opportunities. Not a subscriber yet? Join the FCSI community at https://fcsita.org/direct-connection/

Direct Connection - FCSI The Americas