Trends we spotted | Week 22
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’.
Here in the Netherlands we’re allowed to dine inside as from the 5th of June! And a couple of restaurants in Utrecht are celebrating their opening with a ‘walking diner’ with a piece of cutlery with an inscription as the entrance ticket, Utrechts Bestek (cutlery).
McDonald’s Germany is testing grass paper, they serve their Deutschlandburger (German burger) and their McWraps wrapped in this sustainable paper. And also spotted the Fortuna Cooler, a nutshell cooler, made from coconuts that chills by nature.
A link to an article about the world’s largest NFT museum that is coming to New York and Logis Hotels wants to become European market leader in the flexible workplace market, they’re testing a new network in France.
Domino’s Japan created Pizza Rice Bowls and we wonder whether we will see them here in Europe or in the USA? And in the Japan Centre in London, ‘The Mochi Bar’ opened!
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Nutshell Coolers | The cooler made from coconuts that chills by nature
For coconut farmers, husks are a waste product that quickly piles up. Meanwhile, people need to keep food cool in the hot countries where coconuts grow, and they often use styrofoam. A Philippines-based startup is tackling both issues with coolers made of coconut husks. They will soon launch a funding campaign at Kickstarter according to their Instagram account and are currently serving California and the Philippines. The Fortuna Cooler can compete with plastic foam insulation on price and performance. Thoughtful design ensures that it integrates into existing supply chains which makes it easy to replace Styrofoam boxes. More information in the article of Trendwatching, link in the title.
The world’s largest NFT museum is coming to New York
For those who don’t know what NFT means: in simple terms, NFT stands for non-fungible token. As opposed to a fungible currency, meaning that they are interchangeable and the same as each other, which is what most currencies are, a non-fungible is unique. For an NFT, each one is special and has its own worth, and they are created on the blockchain and tied to something specific, which most of the time is a digital artwork such as a GIF, a photograph, and tons more depending on how creative you can get. NFTs will let you buy or sell the ownership of digital items, and the blockchain will keep track of who has ownership of the digital file of the artwork, GIF, photograph, etc.
Financier Todd Morley has announced plans to build the world’s largest NFT museum inside of the new 111 West 57th Street Skyscraper. Developed by JDS group and designed by SHoP architects to be the tallest and skinniest residential building in New York, the new aerie will house the leading tech trend of the moment. More in the article at Architectural Digest, link in the title.
The UK’s first fully dedicated Mochi Bar has opened in London
The cult dessert that has been gaining popularity around the world is mochi, the chewy, super satisfying rice flour treat from Japan. Now, London’s giant food hall, Japan Centre in Leicester Square, has received an entire shop dedicated to all things mochi — ‘The Mochi Bar’ is the first of its kind in the UK. More at the website of Secret London, link in the title.
Domino’s Japan created Pizza Rice Bowls
Domino’s Japan is adding Pizza Rice Bowls to its menu and the chain describes them as the “ultimate collaboration between pizza and Japanese food.” The bowls made with a base of buttered rice and traditional pizza toppings took a year to perfect and they are just the right size for one person who is ordering lunch on the go or looking for a convenient at-home option. We wonder whether we would fancy eating a pizza rice bowl here in Europe? And when will we spot them in the USA?
Cutlery from Utrecht | Three restaurants are celebrating their opening on the 4th of June
A fun idea originating from Utrecht: Cutlery from Utrecht! An idea from Vito Reekers of restaurant Hemel & Aarde, Tommy den Hartog of restaurant 273 and Alex Zeelenberg of restaurant Concours who organised this together to celebrate their opening (we’re allowed to dine inside as from the 5th of June). At each restaurant you buy a piece of cutlery with an inscription as the entrance ticket. Depending on where you start, this will either be a knife, a fork or a spoon. The three restaurants have a lot more ideas to create an entire cutlery set for their guests. More information can be found on the website of ‘De Utrechtse Internet Courant’, link in the title.
Logis Hotels wants to become European market leader in the flexible workplace market
Co-working spaces offer flexibility, networking advantages and social connections. Logis Hotels is working from today onwards with the network Hop ’n Space to respond to this new way of working and to fulfil the needs of the modern entrepreneur, freelancer, business traveller or employee. Logis Hotels is offering flexible workplaces together with Hop ‘n Space in hotels in the city, but also in the countryside. They created a way to offer a flexible and functional workspace available at any moment. A pilot has started in 60 Logis Hotels in France. The supply will gradually be expanded to other countries in Europe. Reservations can be made directly on the site of goworkandco (an English site is being created) where all locations are stated.
McDonald’s Germany is testing grass paper
McDonald’s Germany serves its Deutschlandburger (German burger) and their McWraps wrapped in grass paper instead of putting it into a box. With this change in packaging, the company is stressing its intention to focus more on more sustainable packaging solutions in the future. The company indicates that it’s saving nearly 70 percent in packaging material with this change alone. The packaging changeover is part of the roadmap to reduce plastic and packaging waste. By 2025, all sales packaging is to be made from 100 percent renewable, recycled or certified materials. More in the article at Food Service DE, link in the title.
