Be your own mixologist with the Pepsi Spire. Add up to three flavor shots to customize your Cola or Mountain Dew drink. You can choose from cherry, vanilla, strawberry, lemon and lime. At this moment the Pepsi Spire is only available in the USA but soon worldwide. The Pepsi Spire lineup currently includes three models, each designed to meet a specific set of foodservice customer needs.
Copyright PravdaGin brand Bombay Sapphire and tonic producer Fever-Tree will open a gin & tonic pop-up bar from 29 May to 5 July. The finest gin & tonic combinations will be served. The pop-up bar opens in ‘Les Jardins de Bagatelle’, the inspiring gardens in the center of Brussels. A select group of Brussels artists have been asked to make their own Signature Gin & Tonic inspired by the classic gin & tonic. On 5 June Michelin star chef Bart de Pooter and Oscar-winning artist Stéphane Halleux will show their Signature Gin & Tonic and on 18 June culinary artist Laurence Soetens and fashion guru Didier Vervaeren will introduce theirs.
Starbucks steps into the world of burgers. Next month Starbucks will open a restaurant in Los Angeles where guests can compose their own burger, the restaurant will also serve beer, wine, cocktails and shakes. Two years ago Starbucks bought ‘La Boulange’, a cafe chain based in San Francisco Bay Area that focuses on breakfast and lunch. Starbucks will rebuilt one of the locations in Los Angeles into a burger restaurant, many of the bakery items will be the same but the menu will include a build-your-own-burger. If the test is successful, the concept will be rolled out further.
photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming ChaoDuring the opening of the Gin & Tonic season at restaurant Mercat on 19 May, Mister Cocktail launched its new product concept ‘Gin & Tonic Collection’. Nowadays there are many types of gins and tonics and it is unclear which combinations are possible. The Gin & Tonic Collection consists of nice gins and six different matching tonics and gives a good overview of the different styles gins and matching tonics. The collection consists of handcrafted, small batch, copper distilled gins and 100% natural tonic water. The Gin & Tonic Collection gives the consumer a ‘perfect serve’ recommendation.
More and more people grow their own vegetables in a garden at home. It is now also possible to grow your own mushrooms on recycled coffee grounds. GRO Mushrooms has developed a home cultivation kit that allows consumers to grow fresh mushrooms within 10 days. The DIY Mushroom Farm Kit is packaged in a handy takeaway box and filled with leftover coffee grounds from coffee bars. You just open the bag, put it in water and occasionally spray it with water. The DIY Mushroom Farm Kit is available at the Coffee Company, Artis Amsterdam and UVA Amsterdam Science Park 904.
In February we posted an article about ten original sweets with coffee or tea, recently we spotted Chocodate, a delicacy that can be served as coffee snack. Chocodate is a date filled with roasted almonds, covered with a layer of white, milk or dark chocolate and is originally an Arab snack from Dubai. Dates support the balance of your metabolism, almonds regulate blood pressure and chocolate contains natural antioxidants, this makes the Chocodate a healthier snack. The Chocodate is available at Chocodate Benelux.
When the sun shines, people love to eat ribs and burgers from the barbecue grill. Those who want to have a culinary barbecue can try the surprising and innovative barbecue pot by Casper Tolhuisen. The barbecue pot is a ceramic pot with a spout to cook stew dinner. You need to fill the barbecue pot with ingredients, seal it with a lemon and put it on the barbecue. Steam is created and the taste of lemon will be mixed with the ingredients through the smoke. The barbecue pot originated in Güveç and is a traditional Turkish preparation method. The ceramic bowl is filled with ingredients, sealed with a dough and cooked in the coals of the fire.
In August 2013 we’ve spotted the brand-free advertising of TBWA Paris for McDonald’s. The campaign consisted of various close-up images of popular McDonald’s products without branding. The latest campaign of TBWA Paris for McDonald’s consists out of simple graphic illustrations of McDonald’s products. The items Big Mac, cheeseburger, fries, Sunday, chicken nuggets and filet-o-fish are expressed in a simple illustration without text but only the small ‘M’. The simple and colored graphic illustrations are set against a white background, so they are immediately recognizable.
On 4 June pop-up insect restaurant ‘Pestaurant’ will open in Utrecht. Pest control company ‘Rentokil’ opens the pop-up restaurant to ask attention in a playful way for pest control. A chef cook specialized in preparing dishes with insects will make mini muffins with Buffalo worms, chocolate grasshoppers, sour cream crickets and barbecue mealworms. The entomologist of Rentokil will also tell the latest trends and developments in the field of insect pests and pest control in the Netherlands.
The sun is shining and the terraces are full again. Last year the Aperol Spritz and summer beers were a big hit on the terrace, but what will we see this year? Perhaps the sparkling cocktail ‘Limonsecco’. The Black & Bianco Limonsecco is a wine cocktail of limoncello and prosecco. The drink has a subtle bubble with a fresh twist of lemon. The Limonsecco is served cold and contains 5.9% alcohol.
‘De Kookfabriek’ has three locations in the Netherlands: Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. At these locations large groups, both business and private, can cook and eat in the kitchen. ‘De Kookfabriek’ organizes especially for individuals various Masterclasses of well known Dutch chefs. During the 4,5 hour master classes the chefs will guide the cooks in making their own four-course seasonal menu. The master classes of chefs Julius Jaspers, Sandra Ysbrandy, Jos Grootscholten and Alain Caron cost € 75,= per person and the master class of Niven Kunz € 99,= including his latest book Niven 80/20. The video shows the master class by Julius Jaspers.
To reduce food waste, several applications are developed, earlier we spotted the ‘Hospitality Waste Coach’. Unilever Food Solution comes with the ‘Stop Wasting’ tool to deal more effectively with the waste in the kitchen. There are three types of food waste: the waste inventory, the waste during the preparation and the waste on the plate. The app suggests menus that can reduce waste by 20% and chefs can use the app to determine the amount of food waste divided in breakfast, lunch and dinner. The progress can be tracked and they can read / share tips.
SCiO is a new device that allows customers to scan products and get information about the chemical compositions. The SCiO is developed by Consumer Physics and has the size of a USB drive. Constomers can not only get information about medicines and plants but also about the nutritional value of their food and for example if the avocado is ripe enough to eat. The device sends the information through Bluetooth to the smartphone and there are several apps available. The goal of the Kickstarter project has already been achieved but when you order the SCiO you will get all new apps for free the next two years.
Soft drink brand Pepsi has launched a new interactive can with the famous footballer Robin van Persie, as part of the ‘Live For Now’ campaign. The free augmented reality app ‘Blippar’ brings Robin van Persie to life. Through the app some football tricks of the footballer are shown and consumers can download music, watch video’s and play an interactive game. The limited edition cans of Pepsi are widely available in the Netherlands as of Monday. Last March, Pepsi surprised waiting people at a bus stop with an augmented reality bus shelter.
We couldn’t find an immersive Christmas Light Maze in Europe yet, howevere correct us if we are wrong. But we love the idea, another fun read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
The Swedish company Lantmannen stimulates singles to date and make use of their leftovers, to create an environmentally friendly date. Members should combine their leftovers to cook a meal with another person. By visiting the website and selecting 5 ingredients, a match with another person can be found. It is a nice and original way of preventing waste of food.
Malibu Farm Dinner is a new restaurant-concept in Malibu in which everything is focused on the micro-environment. Guests are dining in the garden of the farm where the entrepreneurs live and the ingredients and wines literally come from the backyard. In addition a live-band performs each evening of which the son of the entrepreneurs is a part of. In this way Malibu Farm doesn’t feel like a formal dinner, but more like a nice party at a friend’s house.
Spotted the same idea before, but still a nice gadget; Dr. Drip. This enables you to brew a fresh cup of coffee, wherever you are. By placing a special holder on a cup and pooring hot water over it, a fresh cup of coffee can be created. Convenience and portability are on top of mind, besides the fact that everything is organic, fair trade and recyclable.
In February 2012 Electrolux will open the Tram Experience in Brussels; an unique driving tram restaurant in which Belgian top chefs will serve several dishes. For 75 euros guests can order Belgian classics with a personal touch. In this way one is able to combine gastronomy with sightseeing in Brussels.
Little Printer is a small thermal printer that can print personalised newspapers from selected messages of The Guardian, Facebook and Foursquare and is expected to be launched in 2012. Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossips from your friends. You can set up subscriptions by smartphone and Little Printer will combine them in a timely mini-newspaper.
Kravitz Design Inc., lead by Lenny Kravitz, will collaborate with BISHA Hotel to envision an exclusive floor in the hotel, inspired by music, art and travels of Lenny Kravitz. In this way the BISHA Hotel hopes to set a new standard for an elegant and personal boutique hotel and to become internationally known.
The team of Restolib’ organizes cooking classes, cooking workshops, wine and beer tastings, cocktail workshops and children’s parties. These workshops take place in different Parisian restaurants during closing hours. A nice concept; food lovers get the chance to cook in a professional restaurant kitchen and restaurant owners will have the change to create a higher turnover by renting their restaurant.
Dutch desinger Tjep developed three new shops in the newly refurbished Departure Lounge of Schiphol airport in Amsterdam: House of Tulips, Say Cheese and Bread!. These three concepts, a flower shop, a cheese take-away shop and a bread restaurant, sell these typical Dutch products to promote the Ducth culture. Early September the official opening of these concepts took place. Watch the project here.
Gyeongwan Koo is the creator of these ‘green’ chopsticks. These contain a seed. After using the chopstick, it can be placed into ground after which the seed in the tip of the chopstick will start to grow. After a few days a small climber plant will start to grow around the chopstick. A nice give-away promotion tool for your Asian restaurant!
The precious Stilton cheese has been sprinkled with flakes of real gold. Slices of the cheese are sold for £60 each. The gold flaked Stilton cheese is only produced at Long Clawson Dairy in Leicestershire during the run-up to Christmas. According to the Independent “celebrities are already queuing up to get their hands on some of the swanky Stilton”. The gold flaked Stilton cheese is sold for 608 British pounds a kilo.
The Dutch Food Center has developed a new app where users can receive nutrition advice based on their agenda. After the free app is downloaded, it makes a scan of the agenda based on keywords. The program will then give you specific advice and practical tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Food Centre thinks that the Eat Guide app will meet the needs that people have to obtain practical information about healthy eating.
The SociRant, the worlds first restaurant that will be created with the use of Crowdfunding. The SociRant is a Social restaurant with the latest high tech features. Everything from reservation to changing the lights in the restaurant will be done via the internet. Even in the restaurant itself, everything will be arranged via the internet. See the video for more information.
Two hours of total focus on music with a ‘guide’. The initiators came up with this concept due the stress nowadays, nobody is really listening to the music anymore. During two hours the visitors will hear all kinds of genres, composers and songwriters. At the end the visitors can determine how much they will pay, depending on how much they’ve liked the show.
Storytelling on stage becomes more and more popular in New York. Not just watching it but also participating. People tell all about experiences in about 10 minutes to 1,5 hours. The most popular is the Risk show, this show is known for the embarrassing character. Many people tell about their sexual experiences and stories. The evenings are organized in the Netherlands by the name ‘Echt Gebeurd’.
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A dozen of international chefs searched for an answer to the question if ecology and gastronomy go well together. The chefs organized a challenge to compose a meal of local products, while using as little energy as possible. The result was an unprecedented, uncooked meal with the original taste of the products. ‘Cook it Raw’ takes the chefs from destination to destination, to cook with local products at each location. Nespresso, a partner with the same values, is closely involved with the project.
The new Magisso Teacup, designed by Laura Bougdanos en Vesa Jääskö, has won a Red Dot award and makes tea drinking nice and simple. Thanks to the triangle bottom, it becomes easy to adjust the strength of the tea, without creating a mess. Watch the movie here for a drink instruction.
Domino’s Pizza created an app for the iPad, the Pizza Hero, to create your own pizza and to order it afterwards. User can knead the dough, spread the pizza sauce and add all preferred ingredients. The application is divided into 11 stages in which the game element is added of making it a race against the clock, prior to the order-phase of the pizza. By means of this application the ‘handmade’ aspect of Domino’s Pizza is stimulated.
QR codes have been generally used to provide consumer with more information about a product or company. Now Paperlinks used these square barcodes in mobile take-away menu’s. Guests can order and pay for their food by scanning the code with their smartphone. ‘The Order Takeout’ platform has been launched this month in a few restaurants in Los Angeles.
Brouha is new application that combines chip cards with mobile phone. If customers enter a store with a RFID chip embedded customer card, the entrepreneur receives a message. He can use this information to send an automatic of customized message to the shopper.
Several ‘grow your own’ initiatives are seen lately. ‘Make Cheese’ developed several packages to make your own cheese. These kits contains all ingredients, equipment and recipes. The package provides an estimated 8 cheeses. At the moment there is a mozzarella and a Canadian cheese kit, other cheeses will follow soon.
The Impact Coiffure is a barbershop that changes into a bar during the evenings. Although it is possible to have a drink during the day, in the evenings the emphasis is on socializing, even though it is possible to have a haircut. There are currently 2 affiliates, both in Nice, in which 2 dj’s perform every night.
In de US and Great Brittain bartenders are producing strange cocktails. As well giant ants, giant hairy spiders and grasshoppers are used as ingredients. Some insects are just for decoration, while others are roasted for a better flavor of the cocktail. The ‘Artesian Bar’ in London serves for example the ‘Langham Tea Punch’ in which you can find a baked tarantula and a scorpion. Nevertheless these insects are very nutritious and contain about 10 to 20 grams of protein.
McDonald’s announced a radical makeover for several restaurants in France. The foundation of the new interior design is the ‘root’, a floor to ceiling high space divider that creates distinct dining spaces. Integrated within the root are McDonald’s brand colors and digital kiosks which provide customers with the convenience of table side ordering. The restaurants will provide seating for larger groups, which is in contrast to current the restaurants.
ThinDish is a restaurant guide for Los Angeles that solely focusesses on restaurants that serve dishes with a maximum of 600 calories. The website offers the possibility to search for dishes at local restaurants and takes preferences such as special diets into account. Subsequently it provides complete nutritional information and the dishes can be ordered with discount.
Los Panderos is a Brazilian website that offers a subscription-based bread delivery. For around 33 dollars a month, the company will deliver 3 breads per week. The bread is made without preservatives, semi-cooked and can be stored for up to two weeks.
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