Trends we spotted | Week 8
At Horecatrends 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, amongst others about turning delays into a party with free Gordon’s & Tonic and a VR club where avatars can dance and mingle.
Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Cafe Belvedere Espresso Martini
Last week there was a ‘Espresso Martini’ pop-up in London, Café Belvedere. The pop-up was located in Soho, serving nothing but espresso martinis. Set up like an industrial coffee shop, but with a very naughty twist, Café Belvedere did supply coffee cocktails to fashionistas and vodka fans throughout London Fashion Week. According to the writer of the article on Secret London, the espresso martini is definitely the must-have accessory for Spring/Summer ’18 – or, in fact, any season at all.
At this ‘Club’ avatars can dance and mingle
This ‘club’ wants people to dance in virtual reality. VR platform High Fidelity wants to expand the medium’s social opportunities, starting with a club where avatars can dance and mingle. VR company High Fidelity has created a dance club in VR, where people (in avatar form) can experience a different world of dancing. The company wants to provide VR experiences that bring people together in a different dimension. The experience is supposed to feel very close to reality, with the avatars mimicking the movements only delayed by about a tenth of a second.
Review app iHEARu | How is the noise level of your restaurant reviewed
A new app, called iHEARu, takes a unique angle on restaurant reviews. Focusing on the noise levels in various establishments, it provides users with information about the quietest time to visit a particular place. They have created a mobile app which uses crowdsourcing to gather information about noise levels. The app collects information on noise levels in restaurants, theatres, cafes and more. According to the article at Springwise the app is only available in San Francisco, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. If you want to know more check out the article.
Turning delays into yays with free Gordon’s & Tonic
Gin brand Gordon’s has started granting commuters impacted by train delays with free or half-price gin and tonics in the UK. They already did this at Waterloo Station but it will be implemented throughout 2018. The algorithm of Gordon’s gin combines cumulative minutes of delay with levels of Twitter buzz with #YayDelay to pinpoint the moments when a free G&T will be most welcome. Meaning: Station delays + Twitter activity = either 50% off or a free G&T.
Ikea launches vegan hot dog
The Swedish retailer has announced on Instagram they’re trialling a vegan hot dog in their Malmö store, with plans to roll the plant-based delicacy out across other European branches in August. They already released a range of vegan ‘köttbullar’ or meatballs in 2015.
No chicken at KFC
The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants.” So said an announcement Saturday that tried to find humour in KFC’s chicken shortage, which has prompted the fast-food chain to temporarily close hundreds of its restaurants in the United Kingdom. KFC said the shortage was caused by “a couple of teething problems” with its new delivery partner, DHL.
