CHICAGO, April 27, 2026 — The children of business titans have been known to float their way up the ladder of the family empire with ease, the name on their birth certificate a virtual pardon from the grueling work and risk-taking that usually drive success. But that’s not how the Marriott family operates.
Consider the 61-year career of Richard E. “Dick” Marriott, now 87. He was barely in grade school when he started touring the clan’s restaurants with his dad, the legendary J.W. “Willard” Marriott.
Dick would continue the on-the-job education through his teens but wouldn’t officially be added to the payroll until he was 26, having enough mastery of the business by then to be entrusted with running one of the family’s Hot Shoppes, a pioneer of family dining. By that point he had two college degrees, including an MBA from Harvard University.
Almost from his first breath, he’d been exposed to the hard work of hospitality. After an exhausting day, his mother, Allie, would have to wash the day’s take of nickels from the family’s A&W Root Beer stand. Customers would plunk down five cents for a frosty mug, and the occasional sloshed soda would make the coins sticky. The bank wouldn’t take them in that condition.
Instead of being scared off, Dick plunged into the business, learning such nooks and crannies as real estate development, business design and architecture, and the emerging field of data processing.
In the process, he would help to midwife the modern food-away-from-home and lodging industries, fulfilling key roles in the family business’ transformation from a collection of Hot Shoppes into a force in quick service (the Roy Rogers roast beef chain), contract feeding (Marriott Foodservice Management), airport and roadside concessions (Host Marriott) and, of course, hotels.
That legacy has earned Marriott the 2026 Legends Award from the National Restaurant Association, a prestigious honor previously bestowed on the likes of industry giants like Ted Fowler, Joe Fassler and Roz Mallet. Industry icon Ted Balestreri, a former chairman of the National Restaurant Association and board member for more than four decades, received the inaugural Legends Award in 2017. The honoree is selected by the National Restaurant Association’s Governance Committee to recognize a lifetime of service to the industry.
As such, he will take time out from serving as chairman of two corporations, Host Hotels and Resorts and First Media Corp., to be honored at the Golden and Silver Plate gala on May 16 at the Great Hall of Chicago’s Union Station.
“Dick Marriott embodies what it means to be a true legend of our industry—someone whose leadership, generosity, and commitment have made restaurants better places to work for everyone who depends on them,” said Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “Through decades of service to the National Restaurant Association and his unwavering support of the Restaurant Advocacy Fund, Dick has helped create a stronger policy environment where restaurants can thrive and people can build meaningful careers. His impact reaches far beyond any single role or moment, and we are proud to honor him with the 2026 Legends Award.”
Hosted by IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, the banquet will also honor the best operators within nine industry segments, the winners of this year’s Silver Plates. Dick Marriott won his, in the lodging category, in 2008. His elder brother, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, took home the prize in 1993, and their father was a winner in 1975.
“Dick Marriott has long set the standard for what true partnership looks like in the food-away-from-home industry—building a company that values its suppliers as essential collaborators in growth and innovation,” said Phil Kafarakis, president and CEO of IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. “His leadership reflects a deep, enduring commitment not just to business success, but to strengthening the entire industry through trust and shared value. We are looking forward to celebrating his achievements on May 16.”
One of the nine will be announced as the 2026 winner of the Gold Plate, an award synonymous with Operator of the Year. Recent past winners have included Kevin Hochman, CEO of Chili’s parent Brinker International; Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch Restaurant Group; Jessica Shelly, director of student dining for Cincinnati Public Schools; and Lance Trenary, CEO of Golden Corral.
More information about the Gold and Silver Plate Awards gala is available here.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.