Trends we spotted | Week 6
20000 Leagues Under the Sea at Lost Distillery
KFC delivered by Wing in Australia
Restaurant 3 Fils in Dubai wins #50BestRestaurants Middle East and North Africa
At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.
With this week links to articles about amongst others Plan Bee of restaurant Tante Kee in the Netherlands and a spectacular new fine-dining restaurant in Las Vegas: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
McDonald’s USA celebrates ‘Black History’ with ‘Future 22’, a campaign that focuses on young game changers. And in Australia, KFC is going to test drone delivery in Logan, Queensland, together with drone delivery company ‘Wing’. As they say: KFC puts a Wing on it.
To raise money for the Notre Dame cathedral, a Virtual Reality experience has been created: Eternal Notre Dame. Great immersive experience to do with groups of friends or children in Paris! And in America, a festival dedicated to Hard Seltzers travels around: Seltzerland.
A new wine store, Half Full, in Amsterdam, that prefers quality over quantity and only sells half bottles of wine, champagne and more. And restaurant 3 Fils in Dubai is the first restaurant to be number 1 on the list of ’50 Best Restaurants Middle East and North Africa’.
Bordeaux (France) and Valencia (Spain) are the European capitals of ‘Smart Tourism’ in 2022. And McDonald’s in Japan sell special ‘square burgers‘ wrapped in ‘comic book’ paper.
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Plan Bee of restaurant Tante Kee
Kim and Raymond Reeb of restaurant Tante Kee (Auntie Kee) on Kaag island (in the West of the Netherlands) are going to place a beehive in the immediate vicinity of their restaurant. They realized that their Christmas boxes contained a lot of plastic and looked for a sustainable way to compensate for this. For every photo they received from guests who put the bag of ‘their’ plastic in the recycling bin of their municipality, they donated 7.50 euros to the Plan Bee project. And that has been heard a lot!
The proceeds will be used to purchase a bee colony and hive. Before the summer, their hive will be in place and beekeeper Bob will take good care of them on the island. And of course, they will make beautiful dishes with the honey!
McDonald’s USA celebrates ‘Black History’ with ‘Future 22’ | A campaign spotlighting young gamechangers
McDonald’s has launched ‘Future 22’, a new creative campaign that celebrates the work of 22 young, gifted, and Black leaders whose passion and talent are creating meaningful change in communities across the country. The integrated campaign starts today and will run through summer, featuring TV and radio spots voiced over by award-winning actress, singer and entertainer, Keke Palmer.
Celebrating ‘Black History’ during February and beyond is one of the many ways McDonald’s serves its communities, customers, and crew. Additional efforts include the ‘Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Program’, which provides financial resources to HBCU students; the Black & Positively Golden Mentors Program, which has paired industry leaders with up-and-coming changemakers in the same fields; support of the Boys & Girls Club of America’s diplomas2Degrees program which familiarizes teens with post-secondary education opportunities; and the Archways to Opportunity program, which provides educational resources to eligible crew at participating U.S. restaurants. Together, with its Owner/Operators, McDonald’s is feeding and fostering its communities. Check out the video about the campaign below.
KFC in Logan Queensland puts a wing on it | Pilot with drone delivery
Wing, Australia’s first on-demand drone delivery service, and global restaurant chain, KFC, are teaming up to pilot a drone delivery service to deliver Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a range of hot and fresh menu items, direct to homes and workplaces in Logan, Queensland. The drone delivery pilot, an Australian-first for KFC, will initially be available to a small number of households in some Southeast Queensland suburbs, service will gradually expand to include other nearby locations. Wing’s delivery service is available in Australia, the USA and Finland. More details in their press release, link in the title.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | A 16-Course fine-dining restaurant in Las Vegas
Emerging and rapidly growing entertainment company, Lost Spirits announces the launch of its new fine-dining restaurant, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, on March 12. The 16-course dining experience is inspired by, and named after, the Belle Époque novel and takes diners through Jules Verne’s iconic book reimagined as an immersive restaurant.
The dining room and kitchen are located within the dreamscape of tasting rooms at Lost Spirits Distillery, located at AREA15, Las Vegas’ newest immersive event and entertainment district. With just one seating of 12 people weekly, all meals are personally prepared by Chef Taylor Persh. More at their press release, link in the title.
Eternal Notre Dame | An immersive expedition through space and time
An Immersive Expedition in partnership with Orange, Amaclio Productions, the Public Institution in charge of the renovation of the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Diocese of Paris, and the City of Paris.
From its construction in the Middle Ages to the current restoration site, ‘Eternal Notre-Dame’ Immersive Expedition is a technological challenge that allows the public to immerse themselves in the heart of the history of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and its treasures. Visitors will discover an emblematic monument in all its aspects by traveling through space and time and becoming an actor in the rebirth of the monument.
Equipped with an immersive device (VR headset and backpack), visitors will be able to move freely in a 500 sqm space in Virtual Reality. Guided by a ‘Compagnon du Devoir’ they will travel through different centuries and will explore several eras of Notre Dame de Paris and its environment, recreated in 3D. Thanks to scientific surveys, and precise historical data, the cathedral and its surroundings have been precisely reproduced to enhance the visitor’s immersion and engagement in the experience.
Half Full
A new wine shop in Amsterdam, Half Full. They choose quality above quantity! For those who love to drink one or two glasses of wine but no more. They sell half bottle of mostly high quality of wine, champaign and a growing assortment of undiscovered hybrid drinks. An option for all the one person households! As they indicate in their shop at the Ceintuurbaan 241-H in Amsterdam: at their shop the glass is always half full.
Restaurant 3 Fils | Number 1 of the first-ever list of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022
The culinary stars of the restaurant world converged in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi this evening, 7th February 2022, for the debut of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Restaurants from across 11 countries within Middle East and North Africa were announced as the top 50 places to eat in the region at an event held in Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers. Hosted in partnership with Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the event culminated in the announcement of the region’s first ever No.1 restaurant, 3 Fils, located in Dubai, whose team took to the stage to receive the award. Check out the full list in the press release, link in the title.
Bordeaux (France) and Valencia (Spain)are the 2022 European Capitals of Smart Tourism
The European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative recognizes outstanding achievements by European cities as tourism destinations in four categories: sustainability, accessibility, digitalization as well as cultural heritage and creativity. This EU initiative aims to promote smart tourism in the EU, network and strengthen destinations, and facilitate the exchange of best practices.
The European Commission is implementing the European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative. Currently it is financed under the COSME Programme, and it is a successor of the Preparatory Action proposed by the European Parliament. More at the website of the smart tourism capital.
Square burgers at McDonald’s Japan
New “I Feel Like I Went to N.Y. Burgers” come with a touch of American comic book flair. Check out the images at the website of Soranews24, link in the title. McDonald’s Japan invites its guests to imagine they’re eating in New York, in the form of two new menu items dubbed “Itta Ki Ni Naru N.Y. Burgers “, which translates to “I Feel Like I Went to N.Y. Burgers “. The Thick Beef Burger Pepper & Cheese and The Grilled Chicken Burger Salt & Lemon. Both burgers are said to recreate the New York experience with thick meat, special sauces, and unconventional square buns.
Seltzerland | A ‘Hard Seltzer’ festival in Long Beach
A festival dedicated to Hard Seltzers was held February 5 in Long Beach, Los Angeles. Festival goers were able to sample from over 100 flavours of hard seltzers as they went through an immersive experience featuring brands like White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer, Vizzy, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Playamar, and Sparking Ice Spiked. After launching in Chicago in August 2020, Seltzerland visited five cities that year taking the event outdoors during the pandemic before embarking on a sold-out nationwide 20-city tour in 2021.
