February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day | Zaxby’s created a TikTok #ZaxofKindness challenge
17-2-2021
Mascot Big Z is spreading the love, because who doesn’t want free air hugs? Today is ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’ and although we are still not really used to the ‘Days celebrations’ from the US, we spotted this fast casual concept Zaxby’s, with 900 locations in 17 states with its headquarters in Athens, Georgia, playing with the principle of this idea. Zaxby’s, the beloved chicken restaurant chain, is adopting the ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’ and tries to make it popular by starting the #ZaxofKindness movement on social media. Although we spotted a lot of ‘random acts of kindness’ here as well, like for example the #socialfries at our Dutch Friethoes. With the corona crisis they offer their customers the possibility to donate an extra fries for those who can’t afford. At their social media they show how many ‘frietjes’ (portions of fries) have been handed out! We love this idea and acts of kindness will always be appreciated, every day of the year! Let’s hope more people and businesses will offer their random act of kindness! Check out the #ZaxofKindness on TikTok in this article.
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Claridge’s handcrafted eggs return this Easter | Are you ready to create your own tradition for Easter?
16-2-2021
We still enjoy the thought of our delicious meal from Valentine’s Day but restaurants and hotels are already focussing on Easter. We received the first press release already before Valentine’s Day. Lets hope that restaurants are already allowed to open by April 4 within limited regulations. We love to write about trendy subjects, but some classic, annual anticipated traditions are great as well. And we hope that those mostly English traditions inspire other restaurants to create their own tradition! Check out the images of the annually-anticipated Claridge’s Easter Eggs above! Next to all their other Easter festivities their eggs delight chocolate lovers and spread some much needed joy.
Accor announced the global launch of ‘Accor Key’ | A digital key solution
15-2-2021
Accor recently announced the global roll-out of its digital key solution, ‘Accor Key’, in line with the Group’s strategy to provide a contactless guest journey in its facilities. This exciting new step for Accor confirms its ambition to innovate and invest in high-quality technological solutions to deliver the very best and most convenient experience for its guests.
Following successful pilot programs in North America, Europe and Asia, the roll out will start in all new Accor hotels opening in 2021 and extend to existing properties with an objective to equip 500 hotels with Accor Key this year, and at least 50% of all rooms across the network within the next five years. By providing customers access to their rooms without a physical key, Accor will also help reduce the amount of plastic used for traditional key cards and cardboard for the key holder.
10 Valentine’s Day campaigns that will make you smile
12-2-2021
In a year where seeing your loved ones is not evident, we have compiled a list of campaigns that will put a smile on your face this Valentine’s Day. Some companies have set their creative minds to work to create products and services that put a twist to the well-known concept of Valentine’s Day. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Take a look at our Pinterest Board to gain inspiration for next year or visit our posts ‘The Authentic London Valentine’s Day Experience’ and ‘Valentine’s Day Inspiration: Culinary Love in a Box or our Small gestures for Valentine’s Day for further insights and spotted trends.
#theALLjourney | A global treasure hunt by Accor Live Limitless to mark the launch of the 4th Paris Saint-Germain jersey
11-2-2021
Who isn’t dreaming about travelling at this particular time? From 10 to 12 February, ALL – Accor Live Limitless, the main partner and jersey sponsor of Paris Saint-Germain, is offering fans a dream getaway, while revealing the most wonderful places and hotels available among its portfolio of brands, through a digital treasure hunt accessible all around the world. Up for grabs – copies of the 4th Paris Saint-Germain jersey and stays in the Group’s various hotels. #theALLjourney!
Although you can only still participate till tomorrow, we love the idea of a digital treasure hunt, it might be inspiration for smaller companies.
Trends we spotted | Week 5
11-2-2021
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 amongst others a Cocktail-gram for Valentine’s Day, an idea by the Avli Taverna and the packaged picnic at the Rockefeller Center ice rink by restaurant Frenchette in New York.
Inspiring: the ‘MEATliquor x Southern Comfort’ home kits in honor of Mardi Gras and an article about contactless ordering forcing restaurants to adopt 9 tech strategies in 2021. We really think individual restaurants have to react to the Internet of Behaviors and increase their cybersecurity.
PepsiCo launches a drink specifically aimed at teenagers: Frutly, one of the ‘better-fou-you’ beverages.
An interesting, but long article at the website of Nutritional Outlook about 2021 Flavor trends for food and beverage. With flavors like Banana 2.0, the Ispahan, blood orange, turmeric, yuzu, guava, bergamot, birthday cake and many more. And a joint venture that will leverage Beyond Meat’s leading technology in plant-based protein development and PepsiCo’s world-class marketing and commercial capabilities to create and scale new snack and beverage options.
The authentic London Valentine’s Day experience
29-1-2021
Three of London’s top hotels offer incredible Valentine’s Day Menu’s. Take ‘the day of love’ to a 5-star level with their special offerings, such as breakfast in bed, high tea or supper. You can order the meals on their websites and it is even not exclusively for the 14th. The ultimate way to celebrate this day and enjoy some of the finest cooking in the world.
Trends we spotted | Week 3
27-1-2021
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 amongst others restaurant ONA (Origine Non Animale) is the first vegan restaurant awarded a Michelin Star in France and a Dutch vega restaurant ‘Bij de Tuinman’ launches socially-distanced neighborhood dinners.
Two new three-star restaurants, three new two-stars and seventeen new restaurants awarded one Michelin star at the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. With two female chefs, Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze awarded three stars!
Artisinal bakery The Pizza Cupcake, delivers Pizza Cupcakes and a link to an article about the smallest online wine store by British food and wine critic William Sitwell.
To celebrate the release of the new film ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’, General Mills has announced a new Ghostbusters cereal and Lotus-flavored ice cream, coffee, and candles honored Madame Vice President Kamala Harris.
Swedish electric bike company Cake teamed up with Dometic to create an electric food delivery box, with separate compartments and dedicated temperature zones. The electricity for the box is generated by the bike.
In this pandemic-era, there is no doubt that the megatrends for the new year will center around healthier and ‘cleaner’, more sustainable, premium and socially responsible products in line with the mantras – good for me, good for the planet – and quality over quantity. The top 6 drink trends in 2021 by Hospitality Insights.
The Kimchi Hotel | House of Fermentation in Amsterdam
26-1-2021
A Kickstarter project in Amsterdam for a garden space that will be transformed into the Kimchi Hotel, a community hub that will allow House of Fermentation to host experiential workshops and share the art of Korean culture with everyone. House of Fermentation is a Korean food company that focuses on, making The Table for Kimchi – the best & most authentic kimchi in Amsterdam and selling it in a zero-waste cycle and facilitating The Table for Experiences – kimchi fermentation workshops introducing the process of kimchi-making to the local community.
The Kickstarter project has been successful, so Amsterdam will get its Kimchi Hotel! For those chefs who want to experiment with Kimchi, the House of Fermentation might be a big help.
Limited-edition Tortilla Chip Lager | Why not have your chips and drink them too?
26-1-2021
Taco Works & Tio Rodrigo are teaming up for the ultimate “homegating” experience. While most of us won’t be joining the tailgate at Raymond James Stadium or even making the trek to our local sports bars, millions of Americans will be flooding stores, stocking fridges and settling in for some “homegating” to finish up football season during the Super Bowl at February 7. California chip company Taco Works and Tio Rodrigo Craft Beer Micheladas are spicing up this year’s Game Day experience with the world’s first Tortilla Chip Lager. The two small businesses are cracking into a new homegating tradition by combining the greatest party staples in history.
Let’s hope we will be celebrating our soccer ‘European Championship’ this summer! If possible in the stadiums but if ‘homegating’ is our only option, it will even bring a lot of positive excitement. This article is inspiration for all beer brands, start thinking on what you can bring to our homes to complete the joy of watching a great game!
Limited-editions of Pizza Hut’s ‘Nothing But Stuffed Crust’
24-1-2021
To celebrates 25 Years of its iconic, can’t-be-duplicated, original stuffed crust® Pizza, Pizza Hut created the limited-edition ‘Nothing But Stuffed Crust’. In honor of the ORIGINAL Stuffed Crust, Pizza Hut has done the unimaginable, taking the most craveable part of the Original Stuffed Crust pizza and letting it shine on its own. These new ‘Nothing But Stuffed Crust’ were exclusively available from January 5-7 in select Los Angeles and Dallas locations while supplies lasted.
Although the offer is no longer – we love the idea and it might be an inspiration for small Italian restaurants and pizzerias. We think it sounds delicious, ‘a literal ring of golden-brown crust baked to perfection with cheesy goodness inside’!
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Starbucks joins effort to help speed COVID-19 vaccination delivery
21-1-2021
Last week, the Governor of the State of Washington, Jay Inslee announced at a press conference the goal of increasing the number of vaccines given to people each day from around 15,000 to 45,000. While the state hasn’t been allocated that many doses yet, that’s expected to change in the months ahead. To help meet the goal of being able to deliver more vaccines, the Governor has formed the new Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center, a statewide public-private partnership comprised of companies including Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco, Kaiser Permanente, other health care groups and government organizations. Microsoft is lending its technology expertise and support, while Costco is focused on vaccine delivery by pharmacies. Kaiser Permanente is responsible for planning and delivery of mass vaccine doses to providers.
Nearly 24 million people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 and nearly 400,000 have died so far. So, this is an interesting co-operation in which the knowledge of Starbucks is focused on assisting with operational efficiency, developing models for vaccination centres that can be standardized and reproduced across the state and helping improve the patient experience. They tried to create the most streamlined Starbucks they ever built, that sells only one product. Read more about the knowledge they gathered in 10 days…
Trends we spotted | Week 2
19-1-2021
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’.
This week, links to articles about plant-based braised beef by Fable Food Co and Five Guys has partnered with Radius Networks to roll out curbside & in-store pickup.
The 2021 Food Trends Report by Fine Dining Lovers – with trends like Plant Power, Brunchfast en Linner, Kitchen Co-Ops and Ghostronomy. And here in the Netherlands the bagels from Bagels & Beans are now sold at most Jumbo Supermarkets.
This March, the founders of Assembly Underground in Leeds will launch a brand-new food and entertainment space, Society Manchester at Barbirolli Square. And we spotted E-bike parking units, called the HAVN, with built-in storage and charging by a Belgium start up called Streetwaves. Interesting for restaurants and hotels near bike routes!
British Airways has recently roped in Michelin-starred chef, Tom Kerridge to design a gourmet food menu for its economy class passengers. And a list of all the planned openings of the Accor Group in 2021, an encouraging development outlook!
Valentine’s Day inspiration | Culinary love in a box
18-1-2021
Within almost 4 weeks it’s going to be a special edition of Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love and embrace those close to you. Well it’s going to be though this year to embrace those friends and loved ones, not part of your household. How does the hospitality industry deal with all the restrictions? Well the most important fact is that most restaurants give their guests the opportunity to celebrate it on Friday 12, Saturday 13 and Sunday the 14th of February. We found some great Valentine’s Day inspiration, like classic drive-ins, with carhop service at White Castle, a TLC Valentine’s Box by 2 Dutch chefs highly rated by Michelin and the Guilty Pleasures box by restaurant Hemingway in hotel De Draak (the Dragon) in Bergen op Zoom.
How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Can restaurants help you to keep them?
15-1-2021
Marjolein van Spronsen blogs about our New Year’s resolutions, which we are already releasing based on experience figures. Yet as a restaurant or catering you can respond to this fact and help your guests and potential guests to keep their resolutions. With examples of Saladworks “Our New Year’s ResoYOUtion”, the limited edition BitesWeLove x The Duchess box, resolution inspired LTOs, Dry January and Veganuary!
Foodini | A 3D food printer with cartridges you can fill with your own ingredients
12-1-2021
Natural Machines recently launched their first 3D food printer and they do not only aim to infiltrate into professional kitchens with their brand-new product. Natural Machines is the first manufacturer to give people access to a compact 3D food printer at home. They want to see it become just another appliance like a microwave or toaster on your kitchen counter. Foodini – great name for a food printing device by the way – does not make use of ordinary food cartridges like most food printers on the market, instead users can fill the 5 containers with fresh ingredients of their choice.
Vegan Fried Chick*n launched in the UK
11-1-2021
We love the recently launched VFC brand’ slogan: “Thanks colonel, we’ll take it from here”. VFC stands for Vegan Fried Chick*n, and is launched by Matthew Glover – one of Veganuary’s founders. He and chef restaurateur Adam Lyons created bites and fillets made of wheat flour. The Vegan Fried Chick*n is made from wheat protein, and is soya- and nut-free. It looks, tastes and pulls apart like chicken but is 100% plant-based. It is made for carnivores and suitable for vegans.
Trends we spotted | Week 51
21-12-2020
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’.
This week, links to articles about Serrano ‘sinjamón’, recently introduced in Spain by Rollito Vegano and recently opened in Israel: The Chicken by SuperMeat, the world’s first restaurant with cultured chicken grown directly from chicken cells.
Scotland is the first country to make menstrual products free for all. That made the Scottish brewer BrewDog so proud that they brewed a Bloody Good Beer for the occasion! And Pepsi had its #PepsiApplePieChallenge on TikTok and Twitter, for this challenge people had to upload video’s or photos of trying to and failing to bake an apple pie.
A vending machine with culinary meals by Alexander Herrmann (**) in Wirsberg, Germany! Beyond Meat has introduced Beyond Pork at the Chinese market and an article about inspiring restaurant food service models post Covid!
And recently opened in Munich, a FC Bayern boutique hotel and 2 restaurants!
The Secret Chef | An insight in the immeasurable changes in the world of fine dining
17-12-2020
One of the biggest names in gastronomy is lifting the lid to reveal the truth about the restaurant in response to the immeasurable changes in the restaurant world. A new monthly column at the website of Fine Dining Lovers that gives those enjoying restaurants as guests and those working in restaurants a reflection on the industry with searingly honest and wickedly sharp writing. The Secret Chef monthly column launched with ‘The Curse of the Celebrity Chef’ on industry insider website Fine Dining Lovers. The column offers compelling commentary on how the digital age sowed ‘seeds of destruction’ in the restaurant industry, and transformed it into a ‘carnival of narcissism’ before ‘2020 brought the extinction event we needed’.
I am of the generation that travelled through Europe with the red Michelin restaurant bible in our vicinity. So I have seen a lot of changes, like for example the influence of social media, all restaurant lists, celebrity chefs etc. Somehow it ended with having to make reservations months in advance and the feeling that you should be happy as a guest to have been able to visit that restaurant. On the other hand I often thought that the culinary world became a kind of rat race, we have seen the results of this race with chefs choosing to step out of this race.
The family-favorite Triple Treat Box® from Pizza Hut here for the Holiday Season
10-12-2020
With the holiday season in full swing, Pizza Hut is crossing cooking off the to-do list by delivering the ultimate gift: the Triple Treat Box. With three courses in one festive wrapped box, this is by far the easiest holiday decision you will make all season. Arriving just in time for the holidays, each Triple Treat Box features a three-in-one meal, packed with two medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks and 10 Cinnabon® Mini Rolls.
Available in the U.S. for a limited time only. We love the idea of a family-style box especially with the Christmas decorations! Why not introduce it for like always and with changing decorations?
Trends we spotted | Week 49
8-12-2020
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 AI-powered wine wall with facial recognition security and Pringles Passport attempts to satisfy a nostalgia for traveling.
Last October people could dine on board the world’s largest passenger aircraft, an A380 at Changi Airport. Would that satisfy your nostalgia for traveling a bit? And KFC introduced autonomous rolling chicken-dispensing pods in China, completely contactless.
At Pizza Hut you could enjoy a plant-based sausage, Beyond Italian Sausage, in the U.S. and Pancheros Mexican Grill introduced their ’12 Days Pancheros’ Holiday promotions. Inspiration for restaurants with take-out or delivery!
We spotted the MyPanera Coffee subscription a couple of months ago and now an European brand, Espresso House also launched a flat rate for coffee. Inspiration for other coffee corners? Especially if you have many people working at your location.
Dutch Television channel KRO-NCRV and restaurant chain Resto VanHarte are organizing a grand Online Christmas Dinner together. Inspiration for your country?
Sustainability: IKEA announced their plan to make 50% of their food menu plant-based by 2025 and we have spotted a new sustainable design for the seating at Schiphol Airport, called Blink. Interesting read for other venues.
Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2020 | This year’s theme: Art Deco
7-12-2020
Claridge’s, London’s legendary Mayfair hotel has unveiled its much anticipated Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2020 in the hotel lobby. This year the landmark hotel has drawn on its rich and glamorous Art Deco design heritage evoking the Roaring 20’s, a time when people were looking for a symbol of hope and happiness post World War One. As London looks for a beacon of light amidst the trials and tribulations of this year, the message seems very fitting as we once again hope for better times to come.
The Claridge’s Christmas Tree has long symbolized the start of the festive season in the capital, drawing visitors and Londoners alike to admire its magnificent design. This is the 11th year that Claridge’s has invited a longstanding partner and friend to reinterpret the tree in their own distinctive style. We wrote about a couple of them because we love the inspiration they offer, on the level of decorating but also in choosing to cooperate with the designers. Check out the trees by regular guests and designers Christian Louboutin, Diane von Fürstenberg and even Karl Lagerfeld.
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The Berkeley unveils ‘Winter at The Garden’
1-12-2020
On Thursday 3rd December, as The Berkeley reopens its doors to all, the hotel will reveal a new festive addition: Winter at The Garden. Following the summer sell out success of The Garden and now reimagined for the winter months, this culinary terrace spot will consist of five cosy wooden cabins, each seating up to six diners. These cabins, glittering with flickering candles, will be decked with wreaths courtesy of McQueens, and surrounded by a forest of fir trees and fairy lights. Guests will be armed with blankets and heaters to keep warm. A menu of alpine specialties, built around a showstopping raclette grill, will delight eager guests after weeks of eating at home.
The UK is getting out of their lockdown tomorrow December 2 just after midnight, at that moment the country will go back to a three tier system. Only if you’re located in a tier 3 region, the restaurants and pubs aren’t allowed to open. London for example is located in a tier 2 region (most regions are tier 2), the rules here are: ‘Pubs and bars can only open if they serve substantial meals. Alcohol can be served with that meal. Pubs and restaurants must shut at 23:00 GMT, with last orders at 22:00 GMT.’ We wish that this was the case here in the Netherlands as well!
Trends we spotted | Week 47
24-11-2020
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 among others articles about, Eataly in London and Bee Approved, a 100% vegan, gluten-free & organic alternative to honey.
In the food delivery section we spotted Pickup Pods by Minnow, contact-free food delivery and pickup solutions developed in the US and in New York, Eat Plantega. This company offers vegan foods in fridges in bodegas.
A company in Belgium created the FagronLab™ UVGI-80 Air-Sterilizer. It does a full cleanse of contaminated environments, via the elimination of virus and bacteria spread in the air through aerosols. And trust in how you clean the surroundings is very important according to this online survey: ‘Dining Habits 2020’ by Lightspeed.
KFC has unveiled its Next Generation Prototype restaurant that puts digital and contactless experiences front and center and we spotted the cutest ‘Charcuterie Chalets’ on Instagram. Might be inspiration for your Christmas dinner!
Trends we spotted | Week 46
17-11-2020
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’.
This week with links to articles about, among other things, cute desserts at patisserie/café ‘Bibble & Sip’ in New York, the McPlant is coming and Impossible Foods is testing plant-based milk.
Inspiration concerning room service for hotels, including high-end snacks from a secret menu at the Kimpton LA Peer hotel and a cocktail bar that will be placed in front of your hotel room at The Portofino Hotel & Marina.
Original decorations for your Christmas tree: Smirnoffs Nr. 21 Christmas ornaments filled with vodka and Guinness comes with two limited-edition stout beers for the holidays.
An interesting article about Uber, showing that the turnover of Uber Eats has increased by 190%, but that does not make up for the loss on the taxi rides. And the Manchester based food delivery platform “Get Vegan Grub” aims to be an ethical and vegan alternative to Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. They will also start in London in February 2021.
The Russian franchise chain Dodo Pizza recently opened its first branch in Germany.
Ahn Moselle - credits Thomas Jutzler
Goûtea at Cédric Grolet in The Berkeley
Miracle at Boom Chicago-credits Geert Broertjes
Miracle at Boom Chicago-credits Geert Broertjes
Plant-based Chocomel
Tatjana Puklavec uitgeroepen tot Wijnvrouw van het jaar 2022
