The Market Drayton McDonald’s | The first UK net zero carbon restaurant

20-12-2021

December 10, McDonald’s opened the UK’s first net zero carbon restaurant. The Market Drayton McDonald’s, which will act as a blueprint for future restaurants around the country, has been designed to be net zero emissions standard in both construction and everyday operation – an industry first.

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Trends we spotted | Week 50

20-12-2021

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 winter coffees from all over the world, inspiration from Starbucks. And a “snowman pizza” made by Joe’s Rotisseria in New Jersey!

The first 1,600 Neder Bananas from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands were harvested at the end of November. Many atypical and sustainable products are made of them! Ever heard of ‘National Cookies Day’? We didn’t, but this day is celebrated on December 4th and Subway opened a ‘Cookieway’ pop-up store around this date.

The fast food chain ‘El Pollo Loco’ is launching a ‘Loco Gifts and Gear’ store in which they sell merchandise specially designed for them, such as a bicycle. And the UK’s cheapest champagne bar has opened, Aldi will sell its award-winning Veuve Monsigny champagne for just £2.33 a glass. And so nice: a ‘Santa sushi’, created by Wave Asian Bistro & Sushi out in Mount Dora, Florida.

Airbnb had a special Christmas promotion in the USA: 4 people could be guests for one night in the ‘Home Alone’ house! Including lots of details like the cheese pizza and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

In London you can enjoy the patisserie of the French chef Cedric Grolet in The Berkeley Café and when you are in London now you can enjoy a special ‘Borealis’ by the famous artist Dan Acher for 2 more days. Northern lights above London during the Winter Lights season, we would love to see that above Amsterdam as well!

 Uber Eats was the first to deliver meals to space on December 11! And have you heard of PappaRoti? They sell drinks and special coffee buns from Malaysia in more than 400 locations worldwide. Located in Brussels, among others.

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Liemès Food District Utrecht

9-12-2021

LIEMÈS Food District is the place to be for business appointments, while shopping or for a snack on the go. In this centrally located food hall in shopping center The Wall in Utrecht, different chefs cook their dishes from around the world and bartenders shake their top cocktails. Liemès is a food district like you’ve never seen before.

Foodhall meets restaurant, streetfood meets à la carte: at Liemès you take a seat at one of the set tables and order from the food stands and the bar using a QR. The hospitable staff then serves your order(s) at your table. They don’t use disposables at Liemès, everything is served on tableware. This enhances the eating experience and is more sustainable.

In August 2020 we wrote about the Liemès Food District, it was supposed to open that autumn. We wish the entrepreneurs the best of luck and let’s hope there will not be more COVID-19 measures!

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Caféco | A consolidation of franchise formulas in the Netherlands

7-12-2021

Coffee franchise Doppio Espresso (25 venues), chocolate franchise Chocolate Company (19 venues) and coffee franchise Barista Café (23 venues) join forces, the consolidation of the franchise formulas will be called: Caféco.

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The Lights of Christmas presents | A drive-thru Christmas

12-11-2021

There is something special about The Lights of Christmas! More than dazzling lights, The Lights of Christmas brings both nostalgia and innovation together for a Christmas experience to lift the spirit and uncover the hope of the holidays. This year The Lights of Christmas presents… A Drive-Thru Christmas, Located in Stanwood, Washington State. This drive-thru event lavishly celebrates the meaning of Christmas through new and classic displays alike.

This is just one of the many Christmas drive-thru’s we have spotted in the last couple of years. As long as we are facing another winter with COVID-19 amongst us, it’s a great way to bring the joy of the Holiday Season to people when they are collecting ordered presents or food boxes. As most streets in shopping areas are decorated this December anyway, why not create a ‘Christmas Wonderland’ and have your clients pick up their orders in a fun and save way! Organise it together with other entrepreneurs, like these restaurants last year. The drive-thru Christmas by The Lights of Christmas is great inspiration.   

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New Amarula cream liqueurs | Liqueur with a story

9-11-2021

The range of South African Amarula cream liqueurs has expanded with the arrival of two new flavors. The first Amarula vegan cream liqueur has the recognizable taste of the rare marula fruit, combined with coconut, caramel and vanilla. Unlike the other variants of the liqueur, the vegan Amarula contains no dairy. Another new flavor will be launched at the end of this year: Ethiopian Coffee, a deliciously creamy liqueur with a coffee flavour.

Last week I went to Rotterdam for Horecatrends to taste the new Amarula flavors. I had never tasted Amarula before, but I had heard of the brand. Normally I’m not a cream liqueur lover, but the Amarula liqueurs have now become the exception for me! My favourite? The new flavor: Ethiopian Coffee. ^Sifra Holtslag

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Trends we spotted | Week 45

8-11-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu 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 Roboat, which is ready for self-driving pilots on the canals of Amsterdam and can you imagine a ‘candies whopper’ created by Burger King Puerto Rico? This is also the last inspiration for Halloween 2022 this year, we promise. 😉

 We’re slowly getting in the Christmas mood, Starbucks introduced their seasonal drinks and seasonal red cups 2021 and we spotted Christmas ornaments made from sugar with a 3D printer by Sugar Lab.

A link to a press release by VTT Research about Cellular agriculture from Finland, they created lab-grown coffee! And here in Amsterdam the theater group ‘De Theatertroep’ recently created its own water brand: L’EAU POUR L’ART.

After Amsterdam, Rotterdam now has its own ‘Hotel Not Hotel’, a place where a room isn’t just a room, but a work of art!

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Exclusive 30yrs old Barrel Aged Genever | Filliers Distillery

28-10-2021

The French have their cognac, the Russians have their vodka and the Scots have their whisky. And Belgium? Gin(Jenever)! Jenever is therefore something typical for the ‘Low Countries’; the Netherlands and Belgium. Jenever comes across as ‘a popular trend’ to many and cannot match the premium image of cognac, gin or whiskey. But this is not right. The history of jenever or in English genever, goes back 500 years and reads like an exciting book. A history with many ‘up & downs’, in which the drink has fortunately always existed and in which the Belgian Filliers, a family distillery, has played an important role for 140 years. The Belgian distillery now markets the oldest and most exclusive grain genever, ‘Filliers Barrel Aged Genever’ 30 years old!

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Trends we spotted | Week 43

26-10-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu 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… ‘The Great Feast’ in The Old Selfridges Hotel in London and Dole suggest carving a pineapple instead of a pumpkin for Halloween. 😉  With a downloadable pineapple Jack-O’-Lantern carving template!

REEF has a great view on redesigning urban spaces in communities hubs and REEF Kitchens uses a unique real estate strategy to its advantage. They opened the first two ghosts kitchens of Wendy’s in the UK. Furthermore, they will open 700 ghost kitchens in the USA, Canada and the UK.  

And some sustainable inspiration for sustainable building: the De Halo building in San Francisco made of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and the HAUT building in Amsterdam. And a link to an sustainable fabric for carpets and flooring: Econyl. Just as strong as nylon and made of recycled waste.

A design graduate from the Eindhoven Design Academy in the Netherlands, has created a project to highlight how renewable energy derived from tomato vines could be used to run a cloud server. And a link to an article about artfully Cannabis-infused confections.

In the Netherlands, women’s average gross hourly earnings are 14% lower than men’s, which seemed entirely outdated to De Koffiejongens. So they ask men to voluntarily pay more… And the Franz Fisher ‘Alpenhütte’ in Austria is the first mountain restaurant to serve vegan-vegetarian dishes only.

We spotted a new chain in the USA: The Sweet Paris Creperie & Café with cafes in Houston and one in Mexico opens new locations in Miami.

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Claridge’s ArtSpace opens with exhibition by Damien Hirst

12-10-2021

As the art world looks to London, Claridge’s, the legendary hotel in the heart of Mayfair, will unveil  a newly created Claridge’s ArtSpace today, Tuesday 12th October 2021, the eve of Frieze 2021.  Opening its doors for the first time, the space will exhibit a collection of work by artist Damien Hirst entitled ‘Sunshine’, presented by HENI. Claridge’s ArtSpace, which is accessed by an entrance on the newly restored Claridge’s façade on Brooks Mews, engineered by Jim Mackey, has been designed by John Pawson, to be a multi-functional space, set to house a café and art store (opening early 2022) as well as the permanent gallery.

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