Chicken restaurant Poule & Poulette
6-3-2015
Recently our colleague Guido Verschoor wrote a blog entitled ‘The one 2.0 after another….’ He ends his blog with the statement that he expects to see a revival of the (take away) chicken restaurants. By coincidence we were writing about Papa Poule in New York. A takeaway restaurant where chickens are grilled and prepared by top chefs. But the chicken is also popular closer to our home, Poule & Poulette is very successful in Antwerp.
Poule & Poulette
The four owners of the restaurant got a ‘Bronzen Palm’, a price for the best restaurant concept of Belgium, at the Hospitality Fair in Ghent. This happened when they were only open for four months, and of course they are very proud with this achievement!
Poule & Poulette is an original concept for a chicken restaurant. The restaurant is located in a small place of 35 square meters, with space for 35 people. The owners of the restaurant have designed their own table boxes. Everything at Poule & Poulette is based on chicken. The chicken is slowly grilled on a spit which takes around 75 till 90 minutes. The grill is the central part of the restaurant. They also serve chicken croquettes, salads with chicken, chicken soup and so on. They only work with Belgian chickens.
Expanding with shops
In Brasschaat (near Antwerp) Poule & Poulette have a shop and they will also open a shop in Antwerp this March. In the beginning of next year Poule & Poulette will go to the student area to open a shop. Takeaway chicken for a student price! Poule & Poulette want to open more shops and restaurants in the next couple of years.
‘Slag op de Schelde’, an unique culinary competition for chefs at the Oosterschelde
5-3-2015
Michelin starred restaurant Katseveer and chef Hans Everse are organizing a culinary competition ‘Battle on the Schelde’ on the 18th of May 2015. Chefs and sous-chefs will compete on board of a ship at the Oosterschelde. They have to prepare dishes with asparagus and a product from the Oosterschelde. Amongst others the jury includes two Michelin starred chefs Edwin Vinke and Dick Middelweerd.
Slag op de Schelde
‘Battle on the Schelde’ is the sequel to the asparagus-amuse competition that was held for nine years in restaurant ‘De Zeelandburg’. Hans Everse, ‘Hero of the Taste of the region Zeeland’ and chairman/speaker of the ‘Koksgilde Zeeland’, has initiated the revival of this culinary competition together with Jessica and Rutger van der Weel, owners of the Michelin starred restaurant Katseveer. Hans Everse indicated in the press release that he only wants participants which are on a high level, that’s why only chefs and sous-chefs can sign up for the competition.
During the competition the participants have to make a dish with asparagus and a product from the Oosterschelde for 20 persons. They have to present it with a matching wine or cocktail. The dishes may be prepared, only the final preparation can be done on the spot. The participants can be assisted by one student.
They want ‘De slag op de Schelde’ to become a yearly returning culinary competition. Participants can sign up at their website, until the 15th of March 2015.
Jury
The members of the jury are Edwin Vinke (restaurant De Kromme Watergang** and SVH Meesterkok), Dick Middelweerd (restaurant De Treeswijkhoeve** en SVH Meesterkok), Sjaak Jobse (SVH Meesterkok) and sommelier Mike Dooms (restaurant De Kromme Watergang**) who judges the food / wine pairings.
Inspiration
This is a great way to put yourself in the spotlight as chef, for the regions it’s a way to promote local products.
Annie the Owl Bar – pops up in London
4-3-2015
In London ‘Annie the Owl Bar’, a pop-up bar will open for a week in March. In this pop-up bar you can stroke owls while drinking cocktails. Like all animal themed bars, where you can stroke cats or for example bunnies, the owl themed pop-up bar also originates from Japan.
Annie the Owl Bar
‘Annie the Owl Bar’ is inspired by a bar in Tokyo (the video above is from that bar) and is already very popular. Tickets are only available by lottery. Entrance is 20 pounds and includes two cocktails. The entrance money is going to the charity ‘The Barn Owl Centre’. The bar will pop-up from 19 till 25 March from 8:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. The opening hours are adjusted to the sleeping habits of the owls. The exact location will be revealed to the winners of the lottery on 16 March.
A visit to ‘Annie the Owl Bar’ must be a dream come true for the diehard Harry Potter fan! 
Floral workshop with Dutch flowers at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris
4-3-2015
The Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris offers an exclusive experience to participate in a floral arrangement class hosted by Jeff Leatham, the hotel’s artistic Director and famous rock & roll florist.
Floral workshop
Jeff Leathman quarterly organizes a floral arrangement class in the Four Seasons Hotel George V. It’s a rare opportunity to meet the famous artist and discover his secrets about how to make stunning flower bouquets. The class starts with a demonstration followed by a practical lesson.
Every month Jeff comes up with a new theme and creates his bouquets with flowers from the Netherlands. Every week 9.000 flowers are delivered at the hotel.
Jeff Leathman
Jeff Leathman is well known for his spectacular floral creations. He’s not only responsible for the decoration of the hotel, he also made the decorations at the grand opening of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, made floral creations for the wedding of Tina Turner and was a guest at the show of Oprah Winfrey.
Wagamama & crowdfunding: they raised € 177.000,= in two hours for their new location
3-3-2015
Wagamama, a Japanese noodle restaurant, raised € 177.500,= through Collin Crowdfund in only two hours for their new location at the ‘IJ riverside’ of Amsterdam Central Station. A total amount of € 225.000,= is collected from the public. The new Wagamama restaurant opens her doors at 1 June 2015.
Wagamama fast casual dining
Arjen Schrama took London’s Wagamama formula to the Netherlands in 2000. After the Wagamana restaurants at the Rembrandt square, Leidseplein and Zuidplein (WTC) the ‘IJhall’ will be the fourth location in Amsterdam. The restaurant will have 120 seats and a terrace with 60 seats. The restaurant is completely transparent on the front and the back and offers a view over ‘the IJ river’ and the Eye Film Museum across the river.
The “fast casual dining” formula provides freshly prepared food and lots of choices for travellers who need a fast, affordable meal or a 2- or 3-course dinner.
Wagamama & crowdfunding
The total investment of the new Wagamama restaurant is € 450.000,=. Half of this investment comes from the company’s own funds. The other half is loaned by private investors through a linear loan of 48 months with an interest rate of 6,5%. The network of Arjen Schrama already invested € 47.500,= in Wagamama. The remaining € 177.500,= was later added by the investors of Collin.
Collin Crowdfund
Collin is the bridge between investors who are looking for more return on their investment and smaller companies in need of financing funding. Companies in need of funding from € 50.000,= till € 2.500.000,= can go to Collin. In order to make both sides successful, Collin introduced ‘Crowdfund Coaches’ who will accompany the entrepreneurs through the process. The Crowdfund coaches will also be coordinating the contact between the entrepreneur and the investors after the completion of the loans.
About the ‘Bakkerswinkel’
24-2-2015
This is an interview with a Dutch entrepreneur and is only published in Dutch. You can read more articles about his lunchroom/bakery store on our website. The first article is about the second store of the ‘Bakkerswinkel’ in Rotterdam and the second article about the ‘Bakkerswinkel’ in Amsterdam who started serving dinner as well.
The icons of McDonald’s: continuing the ‘No Logo’ strategy
20-2-2015
One of our readers e-mailed us a picture of an advertisement with a simple icon, seen in a bus shelter. He suspected that the icon was an advertisement of Mcdonald’s? And he was right. McDonald’s in the Netherlands lets these icons speak for themselves without adding any text.
The ‘No Logo’ strategy
In 2014 McDonald’s USA started the champagne ‘No Logo’. This campaign shows that the products of McDonald’s became brands. Above you can see the first original TV-commercial that was made for this campaign. It was directed by agency TBWA Paris. Now McDonald’s in the Netherlands goes an extra mile by changing its products into just Picto’s. This way they show the Dutch audience that even if their products are advertised as Picto’s, they still are recognizable.
Picto Puzzles based on the Beacon-technology
Besides the pictures you can find on billboards, advertisements in bus shelters and on posters, you can find them as well at more famous places, like the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and the subway station ‘Beurs’ in Rotterdam. By scanning these Picto Puzzles with the McDonald’s app, you receive a notification to play Picto Puzzle. Mcdonald’s is the first advertiser in the Netherlands who inserts the Beacon-technology.
Noma is selling the cutlery and tableware from their pop-up restaurant
18-2-2015
A new development in the restaurant pop-up scene. The Danish restaurant Noma that was relocated from Copenhagen to Tokyo (at the Mandarin Oriental hotel) from early January until 14 February now sells all the chopsticks, forks, bowls and plates online.
About the cutlery and tableware from the pop-up restaurant
René Redzepi had 14 local Japanese artists and potters asked to create tableware and cutlery for his pop-up restaurant that is locally sourced. The result is a collection of artisanal and beautiful but expensive earthenware plates and bowls and organic lacquer forks, spoons and chopstick. The collection was co-curated by the designer and Arts&Science creative director, Sonya Park.
And now the collection is sold through the website.
Virgin Rumors
13-2-2015
Back in August, the yet-to-open Virgin Hotel in Chicago started the #VirginRumors social media campaign. The hotel began encouraging people to spread rumors about the hotel on social media, Virgin Rumors. The person who had the best #VirginRumor would then win a two-night stay at the hotel during the opening party along with airfare and transportation.
Virgin Rumors
The owner of the hotel, Sir Richard Branson, had actually act out one of the Virgin rumors. Richard Branson was tucking the big winner and her fiancée in and was reading them a bed time story.
Lucy
If Richard Branson isn’t able to provide personal advice or read you a story, Lucy is a great stand-in. Lucy is an app that is your personal assistant during your stay. Lucy gives you advice to find the best local restaurants and gives access to the Virgin Hotels chatroom where you can get recommendations from other guests, meet up, or make new contacts. Besides that Lucy is the remote control you need to watch TV or order movies on demand. You can browse the menu and order with a few ticks. Order while you’re out and come back to find a meal waiting for you.
Marriott enables guests to share their experiences
10-2-2015
Guests staying at selected Marriot Hotels will be able to use a complimentary GoPro camera during their stay. To share their experiences with family and friends at home.
An old trick to get your guest to share their experiences at your spot.
Somewhere in 2009 we wrote an inspiring article about the Omni hotels who gave their guests a camcorder for the weekend. At the same time these guests were asked to upload their greatest video and with this video they could win another free stay for the weekend in one of the Omni hotels.
And don’t forget the inspiring article about enabling your guests to make the best #selfies in Paris. The luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel launched a ‘Selfie in Paris’ campaign in August 2014. They offer their guests a tour of Paris’ best selfie spots with a private car and driver.
Enable your guests to share their experiences
The selected Marriott hotels do have perfect spots to use the GoPro. It must be great to share experiences like scuba diving in the Caribbean, summiting Machu Picchu, or jungle trekking. The program has been launched in 17 properties across the Caribbean and Latin America, destinations for the outdoor adventurer and with a lot of scenic activities. Guests can test GoPro’s latest Hero4 camera.
Inspiration
Check out your surroundings and enable your guests to make the best pictures possible! Selfies or video’s during a special tour or lent them a new camera to play with….. And if they share it on their social media platforms, we hope that their family and friends want to visit your hotel as well. Check out the video’s on Marriott’s website Travel Brilliantly, you will certainly find a spot you would love to visit!
