Trends we spotted | Week 32

11-8-2023

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 including a couple of them on reservation fees at restaurants in the hope that this will reduce the number of no-shows. In New York, more and more restaurants are turning to this system. Leonie van Spronsen recently wrote a blog about this subject. It’s kind of a double standard that lots of guests don’t want to pay a restaurant fee while we pay, without any problem, in advance for tickets to Taylor Swift.

A unique combination; a Latin-American fine-dining experience on a London train, the Supperclub.Tube. Also in London: the Vagabond’s Wine Bars where you can choose from as many as 140 varieties of wines!

Aperol sorbet floating in prosecco, sounds delicious! It’s served at Il Terrazzo in department store Nordstrom in NYC. The sorbet is made by il Laboratorio del Gelato. And also in NYC –  the hottest new sushi bar is hidden in The Vault of Saks Fifth Avenue. Great idea, an omakase inside a small corner of a retail outlet?

A touring mini club, Fandangoe Discoteca invites people to dance out their grief! Created by artist Annie Frost Nicholson and it will come to the Netherlands as well. And International Hotel Capital Partners is the new owner of Hilton Garden Inn Leiden Hotel.  

Located 4.5 hours from NYC, in Watkins Glen, is the world’s smallest diner, which is also appropriately named ‘World’s Smallest Diner’. And we read about an Instant Noodle Factory in Queens, they serve 88 different instant noodles options with 30 different toppings.

The popular experience, Dining in the Dark, is returning to Amsterdam on August 31, this time it takes place at the NOMAD aan het IJ. And we love the design of the Costa Rican Suitree Experience Hotel with treehouse style rooms.

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Paying in advance for Taylor Swift, not for your restaurant reservation

11-8-2023

Leonie van Spronsen blogs about how we find paying in advance completely normal (a year in advance!) for a ticket for Taylor Swift and prefer not to do so for a restaurant reservation.

This blog was previously published in Dutch at the website of Van Spronsen & Partners hospitality consultancy.

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Trends we spotted | Week 31

7-8-2023

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 among others a collaboration fit for a king by Sorted Food and The Earthshot Prize. And Vignerons du Terroir, the champaign tasting, will be held in the beautiful ConcertLab in the Dutch city Utrecht on October 1.

KFC Canada bids final farewell to its bland old fries with a fry funeral and funeral procession and McDonald’s in the USA has announced a new spinoff restaurant called ‘CosMc’s’.

Mel’s in NYC is officially kicking off their F.O.M.O (Friends Of Mel’s Oven) Pizza Series with limited-edition pizzas created by chefs Daniel Boulud, Gabriel Kreuther, Jean-Georges, and Junghyun Park. Although we have seen more of these kinds of collabs, we love them!

A colleague spotted the Dorian Speakeasy in The Hague on Instagram (see the post by Food Queen) and it’s high on her ‘go-to list’. More details in the link in this article. And South Korean brand LOTTE Hotels & Resorts opened the first overseas hotel in Vietnam.

Chick-fil-A has just announced the construction of the first 75-car drive-thru in Atlanta. According to the company’s Twitter, the concept features a four-lane drive-thru that’s split into two sets.

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Trends we spotted | Week 30

31-7-2023

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 among others the fact that cultivated meat and seafood can soon be taste tested under limited conditions in The Netherlands! The Dutch government, in collaboration with cultivated meat producers Meatable and Mosa Meat and sector representative HollandBIO, successfully created a ‘code of practice’ that would make tastings possible in controlled environments.

 Books for Cooks, a very special cook book store! And on Instagram we came across a ‘Mystery Picnic Tour’, we think every city should have a tour like that! Now available in the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA.

Notorious for its creative culinary ventures, Domino’s Japan is back with its latest unconventional pizza: the Pickle Pizza, equipped with 1.32 pounds of sliced dill pickles. And Bar Vegan in Atlanta is introducing a Bubble Brunch – a new bottle service experience with dry ice, rubber duckies and literal ‘bubble baths’ to pair with the celebrated vegan brunch cuisine.

The Berkeley hotel will open its rooftop – usually reserved for hotel guests – for everyone for the rest of the Summer, with a brand new bar and great views of the sunset over Hyde Park. And in Amsterdam the Conscious Hotels Group is taking a 100% stake in Hotel V & The Lobby, stronger together through shared ambitions hospitality & sustainability.  

Illustrator Hedof designs designer glass 2023 for Duvel and the famous cookies from Amsterdam, the Eberhardjes, named after the deceased mayor Eberhard van der Laan, are now available throughout the Netherlands.

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Celebrate a spectacular Pride 2023 | #YOUAREINCLUDED

27-7-2023

Amsterdam is getting ready to fill the city with love, diversity and pride. From the 1^st till the  6^th of August, we can once again enjoy a spectacular Pride in Amsterdam with the theme #YOUAREINCLUDED. We have compiled a small collection of Pride 2023 events, parties, food dishes, ‘cocktails for a cause’, make-up workshops, an exposition, bingo, parade initiatives and the #TakeAStance initiative for sharing views and proposing solutions for inclusivity.

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Trends we spotted | Week 29

25-7-2023

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 among others, global game-changers like Proveg International join forces to increase bean consumption with a ambition ‘Beans is How’ campaign.

Reservations to taste and experience UPSIDE Foods’ Cultivated Chicken at Bar Crenn are open! And the other approved cultivated chicken producer Good Meat celebrated the 100^th birthday of the godfather of cultivated meat, Willem van Eelen, with a dish created by José Andrés at China Chilcano.

For those cocktail lovers living or visiting London, we have seen incredible cocktails on Instagram served by the Incognito Cocktail Company,  they have 4 locations. And Lilly’s Café in the Covent Garden’s Piazza serves a ‘Bottomless Rosé’ brunch this summer.

From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 September 2023, the festival ‘Classical on the Amstelveld’ will be organized in Amsterdam for the 11th time. Visiting on Friday and Saturday is free!

In Rotterdam you can enjoy the Japanese Souffle pancakes at the Souffle Café, a lot of Wiggleness! And also spotted on Instagram: the Gâteau Mille-pressé by Gariguette in Japan, it looks delicious!

A new pop-up in LA by the luggage brand Béis, the BÉIS Hotel, is still open till July 29. And Burger King in Brazil introduced the Barbie Burger combo meal in pink.

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SHIROKIMONO | Sake + Art Innovation

18-7-2023

Nozomi Japan Inc. is expanding its business to the world and will hold reception tasting events in the U.S. and France for their fermentation + art themed high brand sake “SHIROKIMONO”. This sparkling sake will only be available at selected restaurants in 2023 and there will be no general release.

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Trends we spotted | Week 28

14-7-2023

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’.

This week a ‘trends we spotted’ in summer vibes! With links to a number of Instagram posts including one with a frozen Aperol Spritz recipe that could sell very well at your outdoor dining space on warm days. And about the ‘High cocktails time’ on Saturday afternoon at FAK Utrecht.

The ‘Taste the world cuisine’ at Shell cafes in the Netherlands now sells a sweet BBQ bacon bun and a pulled BBQ chicken wrap from BBQ chef Ralph de Kok. If you buy one of them, you can also win one Komado barbecue from Big Green Egg and a cookbook from Ralph. Read how in the article!

Another special swimming pool for dogs, this time ‘Mutts & Martinis’ in Florida. Including a bar where the dog owners can enjoy a drink and even order food. Last week we wrote about a dog swimming pool in France, when will one open in the Netherlands?

A number of pop-up beach clubs from major brands, we previously wrote about Gucci in the South of France and now a pop-up from Louis Vuitton in the beach bar of the Mandarin Oriental in Bodrum. And in Malaysia there is a Dioriviera! This pop-up is at the Ember Beach Club of the One&Only Desaru Coast.

Last year we already wrote an article about Anya Hindmarch‘s special ice cream project, you can taste her special ice cream flavors again until August 27 at Anya Village in London. And a lesson on how to create butlers: the Hôtel Belles Rives in Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera introduces a ‘Water Ski Butler’.

In Milan, the ‘Ichi Station sushi bar’ chain has opened a new location on Via Solferino, with a special design in peachy colors. However, we think the packaging of their sushi take-out is very cool! Maybe an inspiration for other sushi chains!

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Trends we spotted | Week 27

7-7-2023

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 Kaspar Schmauser, a German, vegan food concept launched in 2021 and that is expanding in Germany. And IKEA introduced the plantdog in the Netherlands. The plantdog is cheaper than the chicken hot dog.  

Häagen-Dazs by General Mills brings luxury to the yogurt aisle in the USA with the debut of ‘Cultured Crème’. And according to a study New York state is the most vegan obsessed state.

We came across an article on wellness in hotels and they mentioned pickleball, a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong. They even mentioned hotels and resorts opened pickleball courts. As its courts are smaller it might be a great sport for the sportive grey brigade who used to play tennis.

For those travelling to Paris this September, Big Mamma returns with its 100% street food festival at La Felicità! On September 16 and 17. And also in France: at Mérignac (near Bordeaux) the first dog pool, Mouille tes Pattes, opened. We love the idea!

Hell Energy is the world’s first AI created energy drink. And at restaurant THE DUCHESS you can enjoy a special, Instagrammable and enchanting scroppino. Check out their Instagram post!

KETEL 1 introduced their Hard Lemonades, ready to drink in the 2 flavors, strawberry & watermelon and lemon & lime.

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Summer Garden | Fitz’s on the roof X Roku Gin

26-6-2023

The seasons play a major role in the production of the Japanese Roku Gin. The solstice in June is the ultimate reason to celebrate the start of summer with their own pop-up Summer Garden. Roku Gin takes over the roof terrace of Fitz’s Bar in Amsterdam with three special seasonal cocktails until the end of July.

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