Chipotlane Digital Kitchen | First ‘’grey kitchen’’?

21-12-2021

The new format will exclusively fulfill digital orders for pick up or delivery. Chipotle Mexican Grill announced its first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The new prototype offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup. Located in Ohio, the restaurant is scheduled to open later this month. Chipotle’s second digital-only restaurant prototype serves guests who order ahead on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com, and marketplace partners.

With no dining room access for guests but with patio seating to enjoy their meals. Kind of a ‘grey kitchen’ instead of a ‘dark kitchen’?

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24 Karat Gold Turkey | Thanksgiving at Empire Steak House

24-11-2021

Empire Steak House in New York will surprise their guests this holiday season with a unique dish, the 24 Karat Gold Turkey! A traditional dish with a fancy twist.

We’ve seen the gold wrap marketing stunt on a regularly basis, the food is always astronomical priced, but they’re also always picked up locally and internationally for some free publicity. Especially if there is also charity associated with it. Quite recently we saw the ‘Golden Boy‘ of ‘De Daltons’ in Voorthuizen in the Netherlands, who raised 5.000 euros. This amount has been donated to the local Food Bank. We also wrote about a marketing stunt by Bubbledogs in London who gave away 100 golden hot dogs as a Christmas present, and whoever got one also got a small bottle of champagne. Last summer Chipotle packed their burritos in gold foil every time the USA won a golden medal at the summer Olympic Games.

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First edition Amsterdam Taco Festival | One big tasty fiesta!

26-10-2021

Disclaimer: directed more to Dutchies. But if you’re living in or visiting Amsterdam on November the 20^th and 21^st, this might be the place to go!

You don’t have to fly all the way to Mexico to immerse yourself in the Mexican culture, because this fall, Mexico is coming to Amsterdam! On Saturday the 20^th and Sunday the 21^st of November 2021, the very first edition of the Amsterdam Taco Festival will take place inside the monumental building “Het Sieraad” at Postjesweg 1 in Amsterdam West. The festival starts at 11 a.m. on both days!

To spread the visitors throughout the day, time slots are used to enter. So you can select a certain entrance time. Once inside you can stay as long as you want and enjoy all the different Mexican snacks. In this article you will find a link to where you can book your tickets.

Reading time: 1 minute, booking your tickets might take a little longer…

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Trends we spotted | Week 14

12-4-2021

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’. 

Today outdoor dining in the UK reopened! Unfortunately the weather is bad but we wish everybody lots of fun and be careful out there. We’re extremely jealous here in the Netherlands!  

This week with links to articles about the reopening of the Brixton Market Restaurants, with their reopening deal: #BackToBrixton and a big loss for culinary Barcelona: the group with the restaurants Tickets, Hoja Santa, Pakta and Bodega 1900 are to close, the only one to remain is Enigma. 

This April, French dairy company Bel Brands will launch its own vegan cheese line Nurishh on Amazon Fresh and at select retailers, with further distribution planned for this year. And Coca-Cola launches vending machine subscriptions in Japan.  

The restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it will offer debt-free degrees in Agriculture, Culinary, and Hospitality to all eligible employees. Also in the USA: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and his tequila brand Teremana launched a ‘guac on the rock’ initiative, to encourage the nation to support local restaurants.   

We love a bitter Spritz (like for example with Campari), so we hope that the premix Garden Spritz by Chandon, bubbles with house-made bitters crafted with fresh Valencia oranges, will come to the Netherlands as well. And chef José Andrés known from his humanitarian efforts with his charity, World Central Kitchen, has announced he will open restaurants in Chicago, to start with an all-day café along Chicago River. 

Is a podcast studio a plus in a hotel? Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas will have one in the lobby and we spotted more examples over the years.  

Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading! 

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Trends we spotted | Week 13

6-4-2021

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 an investment by restaurant chain Chipotle in autonomous delivery by startup NURO. And to help out in tough times, supermarkets rent storefront windows from restaurants. Launched last week in Amsterdam, Reclame voor Horeca (‘Ads for Hospitality’). 

Both NESCAFÉ and the startup, UP TO GOOD, introduced drinks made from upcycled coffee fruit. NESCAFE NATIV and UP TO GOOD cascara. And in London opened Urban Mutts, the first luxury dog hotel! With spa treatments, handcrafted dog beds, reiki etc. 

Ultimate Paleo Protein infuses your cup of coffee with quality protein, healthy fat, and heat-stable probiotics. It reminded us a bit of Bulletproof coffee? And the first Cannabis-infused wine from France has been created in the region of Bordeaux. 

KRISPY KREME® Giving FREE doughnuts to everyone who shows his or her COVID-19 Vaccination Card and has more ideas to encourage people to get the vaccine! And we spotted a startup with the aim to reduce our sodium intake which is increasing our high blood pressure: Green Salt made of Salicornia!    

Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading! 

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Trends we spotted | Week 12

20-3-2020

Our perspective on the world has completely changed in the past week, what a paradigm shift! I personally thought that we would no longer post trends and inspiration on Horecatrends. It seems of no importance right now but we also spotted a lot of positive inspiration. So, we have written a ‘trends we spotted this week’ with small positive gestures and inspiration in these anxious times.
Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Marjolein van Spronsen

This week, among other links to articles about a hand wash tutorial by Gordon Ramsey and the Cheese trucks of the London based The Cheese Bar.

McDonald’s in the U.S. and Canada are considering rent deferrals for its franchisees and Uber Eats is introducing a new support package that includes a waiving of delivery fees on all orders from independent restaurants across U.S. & Canada and dedicated marketing campaigns.

And an article at Eater about what restaurants need right now to actually survive in the USA. Here in the Netherlands, the government is taking all the necessary measures at this moment and even banks are helping. We wish all restaurant owners worldwide will be able to find a way to stay in business.

Chipotle tackles social distancing with virtual hangouts on Zoom, interesting inspiration if you try to reach young people. And upscale restaurant Canlis in Seattle finds new business model in the Covid-19 crisis.

In the Netherlands we spotted free e-learning programs for people working in the hospitality industry and many restaurants offer gift vouchers with benefits. One of them doesn’t give vouchers but gift plates!

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Holy Guacamole Day | Tacos with Avocado at Taqueria Lima West

11-9-2017

Tacos with avocado, a ‘Cry of Dolores’ bell and even a ‘Cut Out Avocado’ photobooth, this Saturday (16 September) Taqueria LIMA West celebrates ‘Holy Guacamole Day’. With great love for the Mexican cuisine, LIMA’s chefs present their tacos with high-level guacamole in a street food way. You can find the Taqueria LIMA West in the ‘Foodhallen’ in Amsterdam West. read more

Which burger wins Clinton’s Hilly Billy Burger or The Trump tower at the Hudson’s USA Burger Elections?

30-9-2016

Hudson Bar & Kitchen, known for its American cuisine, has created its own battle, the Hudson’s USA Burger Elections. The burger fanatics can choose between The Trump Tower, a high triple burger with two beef patties and crispy rosti or the Hilly Billy Chicken Burger, a healthy chicken burger with a spicy twist. read more