(Lynnette Marrero, recipient of the 2025 Industry Impact Award, mixes a cocktail. Marrero was honored for her influential work as a mentor, educator, and hospitality innovator. (Photo courtesy of lynnettemarrero.com))
Honoring Innovators Shaping Hospitality’s Future
At the heart of this year’s Bar & Restaurant Expo, held March 25 on the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor, was a simple but powerful reminder: hospitality is about people first.
The 2025 Industry Awards—including the Industry Excellence Awards, Industry Impact Award, and the Supplier Awards—celebrated bars, restaurants, products, and individuals driving the business forward with purpose, creativity, and commitment to culture.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners! From redefining the guest experience to creating groundbreaking products, these leaders and innovators are setting new standards for success,” said Bar & Restaurant Group Vice President Tim McLucas. “We are proud to celebrate their achievements and contributions to the industry.”
Few embodied that spirit more clearly than Lynnette Marrero, who received the Industry Impact Award for her work as a mentor, educator, and innovator. Marrero, Chief Mixologist at Delola, Co-Founder of Speed Rack, and educator at MasterClass, has long been a leader in reimagining what hospitality can look like when it’s built to last.
“Impact, for me, is about legacy—what you build that lasts beyond you,” Marrero told Exhibit City News after receiving the award. “The best impact happens when someone else gets to shine because of what you helped put in place.”
For Marrero, whose work spans cocktail education, beverage brand development, and culture-building, the award recognized more than a résumé—it reflected a long-standing commitment to inclusion and sustainability across the industry.
“When I started in bartending, there weren’t many women—especially Latina women—represented in leadership,” she said. “There were times I had to push to be taken seriously… But I also learned that fighting to be seen isn’t just about personal success—it’s about making sure others don’t have to fight as hard after you.”
The recognition came during a week that also spotlighted the best in independent bars, restaurant design, community leadership, and supplier innovation.
Among the 2025 Industry Excellence Award winners, Tell Your Friends in Scottsdale, Arizona, was named Bar of the Year, while Ava Vitale of Crave in Rockford, Illinois, earned Bartender of the Year honors. The Manor Bar in Montecito, California, took home Best Cocktail Program, celebrated for its inventive drinks and elevated service.
Las Vegas had its own winner in Livio Lauro, whose work with EuroBar and Master Your Glass earned him the award for Best Hospitality Training Program. Known for his commitment to functional bar design and bartender education, Lauro’s training platforms reflect both operational insight and cultural fluency.
Other honorees included:
- Chef of the Year: Guy Vaknin, City Roots Hospitality, New York, New York
- Community Leadership Award: Toups Family Meal, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Design of the Year: Le Basque, New York, New York
- Restaurant of the Year: Anixi, New York, New York
The Supplier Awards, voted on by Expo attendees, highlighted standout products shaping bar and restaurant operations today:
- Best Alcoholic Beverage: Sun Cruiser Classic Iced Tea
- Best Entertainment Product: DJ Trivia & DJ Bingo
- Best Equipment or Bar Supply: Barfly Mixology Gear
- Best Food Product/Producer: Tater Kegs
- Best Non-Alcoholic Product or Mixer: Heineken 0.0
- Best Technology Product: Toast, Inc.
As the Bar & Restaurant Expo continues to grow in scope and influence, its award program offers a timely snapshot of where hospitality is headed—and who’s helping it get there. Whether through design, training, community engagement, or behind-the-bar mentorship, this year’s winners proved that leadership in hospitality isn’t about visibility—it’s about lasting impact.
“I think of innovation as storytelling rather than just trend-following,” Marrero told ECN. “Trends come and go, but real innovation is about understanding flavors, cultures, and what moves people.”
