Some of our staff recently returned from exhibiting at the New England Food Show in Boston! Our team had a tasty time while walking around the show. They came back with tales of super-stuffed lobster ravioli, fancy cheeses, boutique coffees, farm-to-market produce, gourmet fish and generously-sized craft cocktails! While the rest of us struggled to rein in our jealousy, the other stories about networking opportunities and takeaways from the show came out...and a new idea for our online store was formed! More on that later.What we heard at the showOur team enjoyed chatting with show attendees and exhibitors about synthetic paper. The conversations that took place at our booth revealed that about 70% of restaurants use some kind of sleeve or booklet to protect their menus, but they had plenty of complaints about it! Menus in sleeves end up getting food and liquids stuck between the plastic and the paper, which is unappetizing and dirty, while booklets are cumbersome and heavy.The remaining 30% of restaurants are laminating or using nothing to protect their standard paper. Those folks had plenty to complain about too! Lamination is expensive, time-consuming and downright unattractive as it ages, while standard paper just doesn't hold up at all. We heard from folks who are throwing away their paper menus every single day! Eek! That seems wasteful and expensive, right?Attendees were shocked to discover that waterproof menus exist! Many of them had never even heard of synthetic waterproof paper, so the idea of spill-proof, tear-proof and washable menus was mind-blowing. Eliminating all paper menu related problems at once? Yes, please!Next stepsWe're excited to continue to educate restaurant owners and managers about the cost-savings and long-term durability of waterproof menus and paper. Truly! Waterproof paper is a fun product to talk about and show off. We'll be attending the National Restaurant Association's show again this year to do just that.