RFMA 2026 Roundup
The NTi team attended Restaurant Facility Management Association’s annual conference in Denver, CO. What a week! We had a great time reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, and learning what’s making the restaurant industry tick. After having conversations with several restaurants—from quick service to fine dining categories—we discovered that many of their interests, problems, and goals were similar. Here are our biggest takeaways from the show:
The need for balancing is greater than ever
We heard this sentiment repeatedly from the facility managers attending the show. Many of them are experiencing the same or very similar issues: doors are hard to open; operations teams are complaining of excessive moisture on floors and windows; and there are lingering odors in their restaurants. These issues are easily resolved with air balancing, and result in more comfortable and high-performing spaces.
Another trend we heard from facility managers was the need to have their rooftop units rebalanced. As many restaurants are aging, or restaurant brands are acquiring existing buildings and swapping the equipment, they are replacing their rooftop units. It’s recommended that your air balancing team comes out to rebalance them to ensure everything is working properly and is correctly installed.
Restaurants are looking for national programs to ensure consistency across their portfolios
The restaurants that attend RFMA are fast-growing and expanding in new cities, states, and countries at an accelerated pace. One question that was asked repeatedly was if we served nationally (hello, National TAB Intelligence!). We see this becoming a prerequisite restaurants are asking when vetting their TAB contractors – they want to ensure that they receive the same results, service, and experience in all their locations, whether they’re in Atlanta or Los Angeles. NTi’s team of field engineers are degreed engineers who receive extensive training and exposure to our customers’ buildings so that they are prepared to balance them no matter where they are.
Facility managers want holistic providers
Restaurant facility managers are moving 100 miles per hour at any given time. The last thing they want is to waste time chasing down information. They need to have everything consolidated under one umbrella – whether that’s their TAB reports, monitoring, or how-to documentation. AI is streamlining processes by allowing FMs to ask questions about their equipment and store performance and is sourcing the information directly from the equipment/stores themselves.
As a solution provider, it’s our job to keep up with the latest innovations to help facilities run faster and more efficiently. We are rolling out tools, like the M3 monitor, to provide facilities teams with the latest information about their building performance so they can make smart decisions, faster.
We are committed to finding cost-effective solutions for customers
Facilities teams are working with tighter budgets, doing more with less. As expected, this was a top-of-mind concern for many of the restaurants we met with. The NTi team works with customers to create pricing proposals that are mutually beneficial for both parties. We work with you to understand your goals and scope, then develop pricing that works for you.
Do any of these sound like things your restaurant is facing right now? If so, contact the NTi team to discuss how we can serve your facilities.
We’re looking forward to attending next year’s RFMA conference in Tampa, FL!
