Flammkuchen available in the Netherlands

15-10-2013

In the spring I spent a few days in Germany, during which we went for drinks with friends and with that we shared a ‘Flammkuchen, originated from the Alsace region (France)’. Actually we thought to get a quiche but the thin crust of the ‘flammkuchen’ tasted much better. In addition, everyone at the table was convinced that this would taste great as lunch or light dinner dish as well. And the crust can be used with al kind of toppings of course.

Alex Klein Casual Dining BV introduces the ‘flammkuchen’ currently in the Netherlands as a new revenue model for catering businesses. Indeed, the margins on this product are very good and the preparation time is one minute and baking takes 3 minutes. A great business model for entrepreneurs and I know from experience that you will do your guests a favor. ^ Marjolein

Curry pop-up in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Boston

15-10-2013

The Mandarin Oriental, Boston Curry Pop-up will be in the hotel’s lobby lounge every day from Sept. 30-Nov. 1, 12 pm until 1:30 pm. They choose for the curry theme to pay homage to the hotel’s Thai roots in Bangkok. The curry pop-up offers a choice of 2 Thai Curry Bowl’s who recipes originate from the Sala Rim Naam Thai restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok. Great to use the original cuisine from the chain as pop-up in a hotel lobby. An originated Dutch hotel would serve ‘stamppot’ (in between stew and hotchpot) in a pop-up lobby restaurant during the winter. At the Sala Rim Naam Thai Restaurant they have an eye for small details, like a rose in a wine cooler or flowers in an ice sculpture. We are wondering if the pop-up restaurant in Boston also implements these details. Only the atmosphere of the terrace of the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok can’t be equalized in Boston.

Winter Warming Cocktails

14-10-2013

Wine brand Barefoot shows that you don’t have to drink cocktails during the summer months exclusively. For the cold winter period, the wine brand has introduced two Winter Warming cocktails; the Choco-tini and Mull-licious. The base for the Choco-tini is the Barefood Merlot, a wine with notes of raspberry, blackberry and chocolate. The Mull-licious is made with Barefood Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of ripe berries and currants. The ideal cocktails for the winter.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon in Amsterdam

11-10-2013

It pays to work together. In the Netherlands we see more and more restaurant- and hotelowners looking for ways to work together. In April we spotted a pop-up restaurant by two-star chef Edwin Vinke from the south of Holland in Buitenplaats Amerongen. On October the 27th (fully booked) and November 24th SchultnHues&Friends will provide Amsterdam with their Lazy Sunday, a combination of good music and culinary delights. Normally their Lazy Sunday is held in Zutphen where their restaurant is located. Peter Gast of restaurant ‘t Schulten Hues will work with André Gerrits (‘het Amsterdammertje’ in Loenen a/d Vecht / one Michelin star) and DJ Hans Stroeve to provide a swinging and succulent Lazy Sunday Afternoon, in the famous Café Americain on the Leidseplein. For us who live in the West of Holland a fun way to get acquainted with the cooking of Peter Gast without having to drive the 2 hours to Zutphen.

Become a feedie besides being a foodie

10-10-2013

Share your food photos online and share actual food with those children who need it. Feedie, a new free app, aims to channel all the food ínstagrammers’ toward a common goal. After a restaurant guest uploads a photo on Feedie and shares it on his or hers social networks (Google+, Foursquare, Facebook or Twitter), participating restaurants donate money to The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a daily meal to extremely poor school children. The app has been launched officially on October 9 at The Lunchbox Fund’s annual gala. Quite some restaurants in New York are participating, including Del Posto, The Spotted Pig and La Esquina. Feedie says on their website that they are already working international.

‘s-Hertogenbosch is most welcoming city again

9-10-2013

This article is only available in Dutch:

Den Haag, 9 oktober 2013 – ‘s-Hertogenbosch is voor de vierde keer op rij uitgeroepen tot Meest Gastvrije Stad. Net als de afgelopen drie jaar kreeg de Brabantse hoofdstad dit jaar de hoogste waarderingscijfers van haar bezoekers.

Op basis van uitgebreid onderzoek, uitgevoerd door VVV Nederland en Van Spronsen & Partners horeca – advies, is de gastvrijheidsbeleving van ruim 8.000 bezoekers van de 21 grootste steden van ons land voor de vijfde maal in kaart gebracht. Lees verder.

Your entry 24 hours in the sunlight

9-10-2013

Drawing the attention of all passersby, the vegan restaurant Rayen at Lope de Vega street in Madrid creatively redesigned its store entrance facade. The installation is titled (fos), which means “light” in the Greek language, and “melted” in Catalan. The entry of this small eatery invites their passersby to stop and step into the ‘spotlight’.  Created by Eleni Karpatsi, Susan Piquer and Julio Calvo, the (fos) trio. The team introduced an unique installation that paints the illusion of an artificial light beam shining from above. Effectively highlighting the restaurant front door for 4 days and nights, was made using yellow tape, pineapples, a lamp, and painted pieces of art and lawn furniture. At the Facebookpage from the (fos) trio, you can find a lot of inspirational pictures.

Dutch hospitality game

8-10-2013

Late September, our colleagues Lennert Rietveld and Laura Stoter got introduced to the Dutch board game ‘Gastologie’. Jeannine Sok who developed the game together with students from the ‘Cas Spijkers Academy Twente’, played the game with visitors during the event ‘Gastvrij Rotterdam’. Nice to play the game with your staff or to use it to increase the Hospitality level that you want your guest to experience in your business.

The Italian restaurant in the picture

4-10-2013

Unfortunately this article is only available in Dutch.

 

De Italiaanse restaurants kenden in 2013 de sterkste groei van alle restauranttypen in Nederland. Er kwamen 55 nieuwe Italiaanse restaurants bij. Over een periode van 5 jaar groeide het aantal Italiaanse restaurants met bijna 14%. Ook over een periode van tien jaar zien we een zelfde ontwikkeling met een aanwas van 576 bedrijven. Hierdoor nam het marktaandeel van Italiaanse restaurants de afgelopen tien jaar toe naar in totaal 12% van de totale restaurantmarkt. Deze positieve ontwikkeling wordt mede veroorzaakt door de opkomst van Italiaanse fast casual concepten. Desondanks staat de gemiddelde besteding onder druk. Dit blijkt uit het brancheonderzoek ‘Het Italiaanse restaurant in beeld’ van Van Spronsen & Partners horeca – advies uit Warmond. Bekijk het volledige artikel hier of download het onderzoek

Small gestures in hospitality 2

4-10-2013

With the publication of “Small gestures in hospitality” we want to provide hospitality entrepreneurs with hospitable gestures that are usable without having to make large investments.

We have examples from the Hotel Mainport in Rotterdam, The Mark Hotel in New York, het Pulitzer hotel in Amsterdam and the Palais Hansen Kempinski in Vienna. Download the free publication here.

Bezoek horecatrends op