Trends we spotted | week 13
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:
- Have more plan(t)s for dinner! The Sustainable Plant FWD restaurant week will be held from April 5 to 12 in Amsterdam.
- Jade Frommer, co-founder of the Ephemera Group, is shaking up the fast-food industry in Paris with the launch of pop-up restaurant, called 6,90. And their main course is available for just €6.90.
- KFC® USA is dropping an all-new “Dunk It Bucket” – the brand’s first new bucket in nearly a decade – featuring also-new Mashed Potato Poppers.
- Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, the #1 best-selling gelato brand in the U.S., is raising the bar of its unique Layers line by introducing the Bakery Collection. They created ‘The Dipped Whisk’ in collaboration with Dominique Ansel.
- McDonald’s – A Minecraft Movie Meal and Happy Meal are available at US restaurants nationwide for limited time starting April 1.
- Kimpton teams up with Tiny Zaps for exclusive tattoo pop-up series for ‘Tattourists’ at 5 locations in the US.
- Schmarrnsinn is the first pop-up Kaiserschmarrn Café in Frankfurt, kaiserschmarrn with all kinds of toppings!
- There’s a pub in Ireland with your name on it! A worldwide search by Heineken® to find a new owner to keep the family tradition of the McLoughlin’s alive.
- nhow Hotels launched ‘dance nhow, change now’.
- The Dutch Bird Brewery launches exclusive Easter beer Kakelfris.
- Restaurant Vestdijk47 in Eindhoven tackles food waste and receives Orbisk certificate for 16 per cent reduction in eight months.
Happy reading!
Have more plan(t)s for dinner | Sustainable Plant FWD restaurant week from April 5 to 12 in Amsterdam
After a tasty first edition, sustainable restaurant week is back! From April 5 to 12, restaurant guests in Amsterdam will again taste plant-based specials and sustainable menus for a week. This year, almost 100 restaurants are participating. And with programming of culinary workshops and collab dinners, Plant FWD Week tastes extra good this year. See all participating restaurants and the complete programme in the link in the title.
€6.90 bistro disrupts Paris food scene
Jade Frommer, co-founder of the Ephemera Group (Stellar, Jungle Palace, Wonderwoods and Under The Sea), is shaking up the fast-food industry with the launch of a pop-up restaurant in Paris, called 6,90. This unique concept offers a single, 100% homemade dish for just €6.90. Located on Rue Poissonnière 3, the minimalist bistro focuses on quality and affordability, featuring a rotating dish, a dessert for €2.90, and a glass of wine for €3.90. A bold response to inflation and junk food, this experimental dining experience will be open until June 30, 2025. Link to the French article on Snacking in the title.
KFC® drops new “Dunk It Bucket” featuring mashed potato poppers | A feast made for dipping
KFC® USA is dropping an all-new “Dunk It Bucket” – the brand’s first new bucket in nearly a decade – featuring also-new Mashed Potato Poppers, available nationwide in the USA since March 17, while supplies last. The quadruple-threat ‘Dunk It Bucket’ is packed with KFC’s hand-breaded Original Recipe® Tenders, Secret Recipe Fries and crispy Mashed Potato Poppers with your choice of craveable sauces. More details in their press release, link in the title.
The Dipped Whisk | Talenti X Dominique Ansel
Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, the #1 best-selling gelato brand in the U.S., is raising the bar of its unique Layers line by introducing the Bakery Collection. The three brand-new baking-inspired flavours – Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter, Italian Tiramisu and Snickerdoodle Cookie – invite tastebuds to indulge in a delicious frozen version of their favorite sweet bakery treat. Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto partnered with world-renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel to create a first-of-its-kind dessert: The Dipped Whisk. It’s served on a keepsake golden whisk and dipped in silky vanilla Chantilly cream to finish, evoking the irresistible experience of licking the batter on a whisk when baking. Inspiring idea, more details in their press release, link in the title.
McDonald’s USA unlocks a Minecraft Movie Meal and Happy Meal
McDonald’s – A Minecraft Movie Meal and Happy Meal are available at US restaurants nationwide for limited time starting April 1. For a limited time, McDonald’s is entering the portal for an epic collaboration, and the meals are only the beginning. Fans can also take their creativity to the next level with access to digital experiences, custom-designed collectibles and much more – only at McDonald’s in the US. Check out their press release for more details, link in the title.
‘Tattourists’ | Kimpton teams up with Tiny Zaps for exclusive tattoo pop-up series
Kimpton, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio, announced a new partnership with Tiny Zaps, an emerging and innovative tattoo studio specializing in tiny tattoos, to bring the rising trend of “tattourism” – celebrating and commemorating travel with meaningful tattoos – directly to guests at select Kimpton hotels. Starting in April, this unique offering will be available at pop-up events at five Kimpton properties across the U.S., where Tiny Zaps will provide complimentary, exclusive inked designs as a personal, artistic way for guests aged 18 and older to remember their trips. More details in their press release, link in the title.
Heineken® launched a worldwide search to find a new owner to keep the family tradition alive
Family-run Irish pubs face uncertain future as more than four in ten rural publicans say they are considering retirement but 84% have no family to take on their legacy. The McLoughlin’s have run McLoughlin’s Bar for four generations, but now current owner Josie risks seeing his name removed from above the door. With 88 million Irish descendants living across the globe, Heineken® is using its marketing might to find a new McLoughlin to take over the pub on the beautiful Achill Island on Ireland’s west coast. Heineken used its global reach to launch a recruitment campaign, with towering billboards and eye-catching ads being erected in cities worldwide where large numbers of Irish people have emigrated, including New York, Boston, Sydney, Auckland, Buenos Aires and Phan Thiết (Vietnam). A widespread digital and PR campaign that leaves no stone unturned in the search for a suitable McLoughlin. Heineken® also offered a succession package to “the new McLoughlin” to help them get their feet behind the bar, including mentorship, business support and initial investment guidance to ensure the pub remains a thriving part of the community. The campaign is part of a wider pub support campaign ‘For the Love of Pubs’ which includes a suite of programmes which are dedicated to supporting and celebrating the pub trade. Great campaign, more details in their press release, link in the title. If you’re a McLouglin, check out this link!
Schmarrnsinn | The first pop-up Kaiserschmarrn Café in Frankfurt
Location in the M food court Korrekt on Mainzer Landstrasse 229 in Frankfurt Am Main. Their theme is ‘Schmarrnsinn, der absolute Wahnsinn’ and you’ll enjoy ‘next level’ Kaiserschmarrn with all kinds of toppings, for example: Dubai Strawberry Schmarrn; Oreo Kiss Schmarrn; Lotus Blueberry Schmarrn, Chocolate Ice Cream Schmarrn and many more combinations. Check out their website, link in the title or the video below. There are franchise opportunities.
nhow Hotels launched ‘dance nhow, change now’
nhow Hotels & Resorts has launched an innovative new concept, dance nhow, change now, designed to help inspire guests to embrace self-discovery and transformation during their stays through the power of movement. The initiative is debuting at an exclusive launch event today which is being held at the brand’s music-inspired property nhow Berlin, which features a headline talk by UK-based world-leading dance psychologist Dr Peter Lovatt, also known as Doctor Dance, who has spent decades exploring the connections between movement, thinking, emotions, and social bonding. For example in the Netherlands, nhow Rotterdam will host DJ salsa nights on the last weekend of each month throughout the summer, alongside a variety of dance parties at the property’s Elvy Gastrobar. And nhow Amsterdam will feature Salsa & Bachata Nights at the hotel’s Moana bar, with four scheduled dates in the coming months. More details in their press release, link in the title.
Bird Brewery launches exclusive Easter beer Kakelfris
Bird Brewery’s Easter beer Kakelfris (a 6% blond beer) is a fresh start to spring! It is a blond beer with a light body, fruity aromas and a smooth finish. It is a perfect beer for the first warm days and of course specially brewed for Easter brunch or drinks. ‘With Kakelfris we wanted to brew a real Easter beer: “fresh and light,” says Rik van den Berg, co-founder of Bird Brewery. “It’s a beer you can easily pair with food, but is also ideal as a refreshing thirst-quencher in the afternoon.”
With Kakelfris, you will also receive a matching E-Book. This booklet is full of festive Easter recipes, fun facts and background information about the brewery. Available at Jumbo supermarkets and at their House of Bird Diemerbos & House of Bird Kwintelooijen.
Restaurant Vestdijk47 tackles food waste and receives Orbisk certificate for 16 per cent reduction in eight months
At Restaurant Vestdijk47 in Eindhoven, sustainability is not only about reducing food waste in the kitchen, but also in the bar. With the introduction of an innovative cocktail menu, they set a new standard for cocktails with minimal environmental impact. This approach is perfectly in line with the sustainable course taken by the restaurant and hotel Pullman Eindhoven Cocagne. Orbisk is a food waste management system that uses smart technology to provide insight into waste streams and help reduce food waste in the hospitality industry. It did not stop at the aforementioned initiatives. For instance, trays are now being omitted from breakfast, allowing guests to serve more consciously and waste less. The range of dining options during meetings also became more varied. Even with staff meals, waste was tackled by calculating portions more accurately.
