Thai’s Streetfood restaurant Pitaya opens in Antwerp

21-10-2021

Thai’s Streetfood restaurant Pitaya, the restaurant chain specialized in Thai cuisine, opened its first restaurant in Antwerp, next to Operaplein in the newly renovated Antwerp Tower. After three successful openings in Brussels and Wallonia, it is now Flanders’ turn. And they will open in the Netherlands as well in the coming years.

Inspired by the Thai capital, the first Pitaya restaurant opened in 2010 in Bordeaux, France. The Antwerp restaurant is number 122 on their list! Most of the restaurants are located in France. Alpha Seed, the investment company that manages Pitaya’s license for the Benelux, is planning further openings in Liège and Charleroi this year. Pitaya now manages 5 restaurants in Belgium. The goal is to reach 70 in the Benelux in 7 years: 30 restaurants in Belgium, 35 in the Netherlands and 5 in Luxembourg.

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Ekomenu launches a new, high protein ‘Recovery meal box’

22-7-2021

Disclaimer: this article is more interesting for Dutchies and those living in Belgium

During a health crisis it is of key importance to use the healing properties of food. That is why Ekomenu is launching a ‘Recovery meal box’ on the 22^nd of July: a healthy, high protein and 100% biological meal box which gives the immune system a boost. The recipes are created by culinary chef Frank Fol, otherwise known as ‘de Groentekok®’, one of the driving forces behind Ekomenu. An international scientific study showcased that during the Covid-19 crisis people focused even more on healthy eating and bought a lot more fruits and vegetables.

Interesting development in the area of meal boxes! Can a restaurant also follow this concept of healthy meal boxes to restore the body? It could definitely be an option if you are still delivering boxes.

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Trends we spotted | Week 21

31-5-2021

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’.

The public voting for the Impact Shakers Awards for sustainable and inclusive startups and scale-ups has opened and you will soon be able to play real life Mario Karts in London and in Utrecht (the Netherlands)!

Burger King will soon open a temporary meatless restaurant in Germany in cooperation with The Vegetarian Butcher and Belgian brewer Grimbergen will be brewing premium beers in its Brussels Abbey Monastery again, after 200 years.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University may have found a solution for high pasta packaging costs with flat-packed pasta, without compromising on texture and taste! And an interesting article about the origin of Susumu Kakinuma’s ‘Tokyo Pizza’.

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What does the hospitality industry do in the context of the COVID-19 virus? | Inspiration May 12

12-5-2020

As noted last week, we here in the Netherlands are still in an ‘Intelligent Lockdown’ which means, we’re all working from home if possible and our high schools,  universities, restaurants, cafés, gyms, leisure centers, museums, etcetera are closed. But we can take a walk outside and shop for food and even shop at hardware stores and garden centers. As from yesterday our primary schools have re-opened as have the day-care centres but also hair and beauty salons and physiotherapist are allowed to re-open.

As from the first of June restaurants will re-open with a maximum of 30 persons inside, and a social distance of 6 feet, terraces are re-opening as well without a maximum of guests. This, of course, if the Covid-19 casualties remain low. Our government created a path in which they think our economy has to restart, with no festivals, concerts or congresses till the first of September and even gyms aren’t allowed till then. In the meantime we keep spotting all kind of inspiration worldwide around the hospitality industry.

With this week links to articles about the fact that the Belgians are asked to eat fries twice a week and in the USA you can order fresh DIY pasta kits at some restaurants, great inspiration for other Italian restaurants worldwide!

San Francisco and Seattle are limiting what delivery services can charge restaurants for processing orders, while New York and Los Angeles consider similar policies. And the North Sydney café shifted to grocery store during the lockdown.

The restaurant group Black Sheep in Hong Kong created a viral blueprint for reopening restaurants after a lockdown, a link to where you can download this blueprint.

International design and innovation office CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati launched Pura-Case, a wardrobe purifier to remove bacteria and viruses from clothes. And Cape Town Tourism sends tourists love letters!

Stay healthy and take care of each other! ^Team Horecatrends

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Restaurants Culina Hortus and Vanilla Black | The world’s Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants 2020

4-5-2020

In Brussels the ‘We’re Smart®’ movement, the undisputed reference in the culinary world of vegetables, revealed the new online Green Guide today and the winners of this year’s Best Vegetarian and Best Vegan Restaurants: Culina Hortus (Lyon, France) and Vanilla Black (London, UK).

The announcement was made by the renowned Vegetables Chef®, Frank Fol, during the official release of the We’re Smart® Green Guide 2020, comprising reviews and ratings of nearly 1000 restaurants worldwide ranked from 1 to 5 radishes, according to the amount of vegetables they use in their dishes. read more

nhow Amsterdam RAI | Amsterdam has a new icon

13-1-2020

General Manager Hermann Spatt personally welcomed the first guests of nhow Amsterdam RAI on January 10, 2020. It is the second nhow hotel to be opened in the Netherlands. nhow Amsterdam RAI is located between the RAI Convention Centre and the A10 highway, making it attractive for organizers, exhibitors and visitors to national and international exhibition and conference markets. Schiphol Airport is a ten minute drive by car or train and the tram will take you to Dam Square within six minutes. The building was designed by the architectural firm OMA. nhow is the lifestyle brand of NH Hotel Group and the hotel in Amsterdam has 650 hotel rooms and nine multifunctional event rooms on the 23rd floor.

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New nhow hotel Hamburg will be build on the bunker St. Pauli

22-10-2019

NH Hotel Group’s has plans to open a new nhow hotel built on ex Nazi bunker in the city of Hamburg in 2021 an it’s set to be one of Europe’s most emblematic hotels. nhow Hamburg joins the brand’s pipeline of seven establishments, with three of the planned new hotels – in London, Amsterdam and Brussels – due to open their doors in 2020.

The amazing bunker, right in the heart of the city, will extend over five storeys in the shape of a pyramid, which will house the hotel rooms. One of the project’s most eye-catching features is the landscaping plans: a spectacular roof-top garden, in all likelihood one of a kind in Germany. The hotel will enjoy fantastic panoramic views of Hamburg, in the line of sight of the Elbphilharmonie and a leafy and meandering green walkway that will surround the bunker.

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Trends we spotted | Week 21

24-5-2019

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

With this week, among other things, links to articles about a cocktail that looks like a plant, a hotel designed on a honeycomb, a cinema on a (houseboat) and a mega pickle as a replacement for a sandwich!

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

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Trends we spotted | Week 16

19-4-2019

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, among other links to articles about sleep concierges and other amenities high-end hotels offer their guests to guarantee a good night’s sleep and The first official Naanery opened in London.

In the future we can’t call a vegetarian hamburger a burger anymore, if European legislation becomes official. We don’t think it will be a big issue, we will eat ‘veggie discs’ as well! And in London a new Nobu Hotel at Portman Square will open in the Spring of 2020.

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Deepspot Pool | Deepest diving pool in the world

18-4-2019

This autumn, the deepest diving pool in the world will be put into operation near Warsaw (exactly in Mszczonów). The project is called Deepspot and is unique by its size, but also because of the transparency of water. Crystalline depth of 45 meters (8,000 cubic meters of water, 27 times as much as in ordinary 25-meter swimming pools!) will provide pool users with an extraordinary experience. Great place to practice your diving skills! read more