Rebecca KilbreathWelcome to rd+d’s annual awards issue! This marks the 10th annual restaurant design awards issue, which is a big deal all by itself. But, this also marks the first time rd+d is giving an overall best-in-class award, the Restaurant Design of the Year.
Each year, we convene a panel of judges to review the many submissions readers submit for consideration for these awards. The judges spend an entire day in our offices, reading every submission and evaluating each project individually. This year, I suggested we should pull those projects with the highest overall scores and name one the project of the year, if the judges were so moved. Happily, they were excited by the idea, and you can see who they picked as well as the other award winners beginning on page 30.
That is just one milestone for this magazine. Another is that rd+d has transitioned to a quarterly publishing schedule. With that in mind, the news section, Buzz, has evolved to become a new department, Scalable by Design (page 10), focused on some of the biggest prototype news we’ve uncovered this quarter.
Another key evolution for rd+d in 2026 is that each print issue has a big idea that weaves its way through the content on every page. This issue asks a key question: Where Does Inspiration Come From? You’ll find that idea touched on across many of the articles featured here, both explicitly and subtly. Be sure to check out “Legacy Designs Now and Then” (page 24) as well as the feature article “Where Does Inspiration Come From?” (page 42) for deeper dives into this issue’s theme.
For me? Inspiration comes from readers. So, feel free to reach out with ideas, comments, suggestions and, of course, self-promotion. I look forward to hearing from you!
