The Inn at Little Washington | Mannequins at tables to mark social distancing
15-5-2020
Restaurant The Inn at Little Washington in Washington VA (1,5 hours west of Washington D.C.) is on track to be the first three-Michelin-star restaurant to reopen in the U.S. The open for the Memorial Day weekend with ‘fresh air’ lunches at the more than 20 acres of outdoor space with many beautiful gardens which is located all around the property. Allthough they open this Memorial Day Weekend to have lunch in the gardens, they have opted to wait until Friday, May 29th to open the indoor dining rooms. With restrictions on capacity, Chef Patrick O’Connell has decided that empty tables will be theatrically dressed with mannequins. The Inn is working with local companies Signature Theater and Design Foundry to create the sets. Tables that are unable to be seated with actual guests will be an entertainment and design touchpoint to keep things interesting. The Inn at Little Washington is known for being reverently irreverent as is felt through playful experiences, such as the cheese specialist with mooing cow cart that speaks exclusively in puns or the dining room dress code: “no wet bikinis.”
A charming solution for empty spaces! We came across another restaurant in Bangkok (Thailand), here the owner placed stuffed animal panda’s at the empty seats. A bit of humour in the dining room and an opportunity to make some fun photo’s for guests. Like with the mannequins… Look at the image in this Dutch article: In Gemany hotel Haase also uses mannequins to sit at the tables in their restaurant.
What does the hospitality industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus? | Inspiration May 12
12-5-2020
As noted last week, we here in the Netherlands are still in an ‘Intelligent Lockdown’ which means, we’re all working from home if possible and our high schools, universities, restaurants, cafés, gyms, leisure centers, museums, etcetera are closed. But we can take a walk outside and shop for food and even shop at hardware stores and garden centers. As from yesterday our primary schools have re-opened as have the day-care centres but also hair and beauty salons and physiotherapist are allowed to re-open.
As from the first of June restaurants will re-open with a maximum of 30 persons inside, and a social distance of 6 feet, terraces are re-opening as well without a maximum of guests. This, of course, if the Covid-19 casualties remain low. Our government created a path in which they think our economy has to restart, with no festivals, concerts or congresses till the first of September and even gyms aren’t allowed till then. In the meantime we keep spotting all kind of inspiration worldwide around the hospitality industry.
With this week links to articles about the fact that the Belgians are asked to eat fries twice a week and in the USA you can order fresh DIY pasta kits at some restaurants, great inspiration for other Italian restaurants worldwide!
San Francisco and Seattle are limiting what delivery services can charge restaurants for processing orders, while New York and Los Angeles consider similar policies. And the North Sydney café shifted to grocery store during the lockdown.
The restaurant group Black Sheep in Hong Kong created a viral blueprint for reopening restaurants after a lockdown, a link to where you can download this blueprint.
International design and innovation office CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati launched Pura-Case, a wardrobe purifier to remove bacteria and viruses from clothes. And Cape Town Tourism sends tourists love letters!
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Hospitality tech firm Criton offers hoteliers free app to reduce touchpoints during COVID-19
12-5-2020
Hospitality tech firm Criton is offering its guest engagement platform completely free of charge until 2021 and with no commitment. Hoteliers using Criton can reduce touchpoints and safeguard guests’ health by digitising their guest information and giving everything guests need on their own phone.
Cloud Clubbing | On- and offline music events
8-5-2020
Due to the Corona Virus the recent months have been a little crazy and strange for everyone. Not being able to see friends and family, no longer being allowed to go to the gym and no longer being able to go to a festival or nightclub to enjoy your favourite music. The latter especially is such a pity during this time in which everyone can use a bit of fun and cheerfulness. For now, it looks like all music venues and night clubs will be closed until at least the 1st of September here in the Netherlands. Also, festivals, of which we have so many in the Netherlands, will not take place until the 1st of September or might not even be allowed at all until there is a vaccine against the virus.
A blog by our colleague Marguerita Vogelsang about examples from the nightlife and festival scene, an industry that has been hit unprecedented hard economically by the corona crisis. Nevertheless, she also spots all kinds of positive initiatives in this sector.
What does the catering industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus? | Inspiration April 29
29-4-2020
As noted last week, we here in the Netherlands are still in an ‘Intelligent Lockdown’ which means, we’re all working from home if possible, restaurants, cafés, hair salons, schools etcetera are closed. But we can take a walk outside and shop for food and even at shops, hardware stores and garden centers. Which means that our gardens are beautiful and everything is fixed at our homes ?.
As from May 11 our primary schools will re-open and also our daycare facilities, which means a big relief for parents working from home and teaching their children…. At this moment we’re working towards lowering the casualties of Covid-19 at the intensive care units. The next moment will be May 20 at which we hope our government will slowly restart our economy. In the meantime some hotels start to reopen in the Netherlands (they weren’t closed this period but most just didn’t have guests and closed voluntarily). They serve dinner and breakfast in their restaurants and hotel rooms, for hotel guests only! In the meantime we keep spotting all kind of inspiration worldwide around the hospitality industry.
With links this week to articles about DIY pizza kits by Blaze Pizza and a virus killing countertop robot, created by UVRoboclean. They try to fund through Kickstarter.
A great idea by Chick-fil-A, they sell their sauces separately! What sauce could your restaurant sell? It might even be a good idea to sell it through a local supermarket!
Ramadan has become a less social event for all Muslims, no prayers in the Mosque and no big family dinners after sundown. Fatafeat is inviting families to help create their very own ‘home of Arabic cooking’ this Ramadan. And a collaboration between Instagram & ChowNow, they created an order food sticker or button at Instagram.
A great wine label for Quarantine Wine, created by winery Nocking Point, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. IKEA UK shares their meatball recipe and Red Robin offers a ‘Build-Your-Own’ wing bar for home delivery!
the OG Cannabis Cafe in West Hollywood in California has re-opened as the world’s first cannabis and food drive-thru.
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends
What does the catering industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus? | Inspiration April 21
21-4-2020
We are writing this article a few hours before our Prime Minister Rutte’s press conference in which we all hope to hear that there will be a little bit more freedom for everybody in the Netherlands. It’s already clear that no major changes are to be expected, but it would be very positive if milestones were indicated to work towards. One of the items for this will nevertheless revolve around redefining our personal space, the rule that is very difficult to put in place for smaller restaurants. In addition to the missing space, they won’t make enough turnover. For companies where the 6 feet distance can be met, it is also important to continue to deliver in addition to the missing turnover. We think that lots of guests will still order online, they love to eat out but are still afraid for contamination.
With links this week to articles about Starbucks who’s investing 10 million USD in aid for partners worldwide, and about a DIY ShackBurger Kit by Shake Shack.
Mask to Go, is an initiative in Hong Kong where about 35 vending machines are installed from which one can draw medical-grade face masks for free! And Disneyland also tries to keep in touch with their (potential) guests, among other things by sharing recipes via social media.
And an article about a door handle that kills 99.8% of all germs! In California wineries across the state created almost 80 virtual experiences, go to the Wine Institute’s website at Discover California Wines.
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Accor and Bureau Veritas launch a label based on sanitary measures in France
17-4-2020
The project is launched to support the return to business in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Accor, a global leader in augmented hospitality, and Bureau Veritas, a world-leading provider in testing, inspection and certification, have joined forces to develop a label designed to certify that the appropriate safety standards and cleaning protocols have been achieved to allow businesses to reopen. The label will cover both accommodation and catering, and will set the sanitary standards applicable to all the Group’s hotels as well as to other chains and independent hotels. The project was carried out in partnership with doctors and epidemiologists, and has been developed in collaboration with Accor owners and trade associations, such as UMIH, GNC, and GNI.
The bigger economic picture will be blurred by the psychological mood of people. Lots of people, especially the 50+ group will remain anxious. Somehow the hospitality industry has to regain their trust and convince their guests that a visit to their facility is safe. It will be difficult to do so by just implicating that you’ve cleaned everything… For hotel & restaurant chains a cleaning standard label, like the different quality systems in the business to business industry, might facilitate that trust. It might be wise to create one safety standard and cleaning protocol for the whole industry worldwide. And although parties might think differently, it shouldn’t put a financial burden on individual smaller hotels and restaurants. Living up to a new standard might be our mutual concern. ^Marjolein
VoorDeThuiswerkers.nl | A hotel room as solution for the work from home challenge
14-4-2020
Inspiration from the Netherlands where two entrepreneurial freelancers offer a solution for those who can no longer cope with the challenge combining working with their family at home as well during the corona virus crisis. ‘VoorDeThuiswerkers.nl’ (which can be translated at ForThe PeopleWorkingFromHome) is an initiative of Olivier Kruger and Seffie Treistman, who hope to contribute to lower the pressure at home by providing a quiet workplace and helping hotels generate revenue so that their employees can keep their jobs.
On the second of April we already wrote about Hotel Kom in Maartensdijk (The Netherlands), which had taken a similar initiative as an individual hotel. In response to the article we understood that other hotels were also providing workspace in their own surroundings. VoorDeThuiswerkers.nl is a platform to make these addresses more accessible for those who find working from home too much a challenge! And for hotels, every little bit can help in these harsh corona times ……
What does the catering industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus | Inspiration April 10
10-4-2020
And then it is Easter! Most restaurants that have been delivering are now busy preparing their dishes. Last Wednesday, our colleagues from Van Spronsen & Partners hospitality consultants published a whitepaper: ‘Coronavirus crisis, resilience of the catering industry’, in which one of the conclusions is that even when the catering industry could start up again, in the new reality, the ‘social distance society’, delivery will certainly prove to be an addition to the turnover.
This week’s inspiration!
Including initiatives of collaborations between supermarkets and catering suppliers and restaurants. But also a restaurant chain in the UK that is considering to create mini supermarkets in their restaurants in which they will sell products from their suppliers.
Great item for your newsletter, ask your regular guests what they are missing from your hotel or restaurant as done by the Oetker Collection. They also give recipes and exercises to keep fit. #WESTAYUNITED
Some brands even draw attention to ‘Social Distance’ with their logo, such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s in Brazil. Jure Tovrlian from Slovenia made a few examples, the last one is very funny!
A very useful item in this coronavirus period has more than raised their target amount on Kickstarter, a keyring with a ‘Hygiene Hand’ attached to it. And an example of how the BrewDog brewery is coping with this crisis, they have a Hop Drop app with drive-thru beer collection points, they help make handsanitizers and they organize an online bar.
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends
What does the catering industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus | Inspiration April 6
7-4-2020
Gradually we get used to the effects of the Covid-19 virus here in the Netherlands, fortunately many keep their distance and many people are able to work from home. Maybe even in the sun today! But more and more entrepreneurs are starting to worry about the economic impact. They could survive the first deadline here of the 6th of April, but the effects are getting more serious now. Fortunately, we see a lot of inspiration and even experience it ourselves, such as restaurant owners who add a card to the delivery to thank their guests and offer a glass of bubbles when his or her business is open again.
This week’s inspiration!
With initiatives involving collaboration like between the kitchen of Eleven Madison Park & the Rethink Group. The restaurant with three Michelin stars is now part of a ‘Soup kitchen’ and an example from a takeout meal from restaurant Alinea in Chicago, also with three Michelin stars.
A bagel shop ‘Call Your Mother’ in Washington reopened and came up with a very special and original auction!
In China we have spotted a special delivery initiative at Meituan, they deliver a paper shield behind which you can eat! And New York-based technology and lifestyle company Air Co. makes hand sanitizer out of CO2. We already wrote about their carbon negative vodka earlier.
An initiative by Airbnb to offer health care professionals and first responsers sleeping places closer to their work. And an article that made us realize how difficult entrepreneurship in the U.S. is. We came across an article about choosing between offering delivery which increases the possibility of infection of employees with Covid-19 or fire to them.
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Social distancing by placing mannequins in the dining room at The Inn at Little Washington 
Social distancing by placing mannequins in the dining room at The Inn at Little Washington 
