Old hospitality legend returns to Rotterdam
10-3-2026
You walk in and it feels as if time has stood still. This month, hospitality legend Villa Kakelbont made its comeback in the centre of Rotterdam, on Halvemaanpassage behind the Meent. Once the café of the Oude Haven, now a new place: a warm living room for the city. With a vintage interior, board games and pub classics on the menu, you’ll soon find yourself staying the whole evening.
Reading time: 2 minutes
The Jollof Club chooses community funding for its first permanent location in Amsterdam-Zuidoost
26-2-2026
The West African restaurant concept The Jollof Club in Amsterdam is taking its next step. Chef Nicolas Aquaa and hospitality entrepreneur Bunmi Okolosi will open their first permanent location in spring 2026 at Klein Bijlmerplein (Bijlmerplein 508) in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. To make this possible, they have consciously chosen crowdfunding via CrowdAboutNow.
With this campaign, they are not only building financial support, but above all a community. Future guests, fans, and local residents can become co-creators from the very beginning. “We want people to feel part of this story from day one,” says Bunmi Okolosi. “Not just as guests, but as a community.”
2 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 6
10-2-2026
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:
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe is celebrating Valentine’s Day with pets, featuring the limited-time Puppy Power Bowl, available through 3 March.
- Starbucks has reached a significant recycling milestone: polypropylene cold to go beverage cups are now recyclable for more than 60% of US households.
- IKEA and Tiny Chef are launching a new mini-series from 2 to 9 February, celebrating the joy of plant-based cooking with the beloved stop-motion character Tiny Chef.
- Wendy’s is marking Singles Awareness Day on 15 February with a special in-app offer: a Dave’s Single® cheeseburger.
- Kwalitaria is the first major Dutch snack chain to introduce completely plastic-free packaging, with fries and snack trays protected by a biodegradable seaweed coating.
- Vaseline® and Red Lobster are launching a temporary Valentine’s Day Kissing Booth in Times Square, from February 10 to 12, featuring exclusive menu items and the new Lip Therapy® collection.
- Café Teichner dal 1922 in Rome is serving an espresso with hazelnut cream and chocolate at Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina 15.
Enjoy reading!
‘Free Sleep at Fletcher Package’ | They can’t make it any easier, but they can make it more fun!
11-11-2025
Fletcher Hotels in the Netherlands responds to the Tax and Customs Administration’s slogan in the Netherlands with a playful twist. From January 2026, VAT on accommodation will increase significantly, making a weekend away more expensive for many Dutch people. The VAT on hotel stays will then increase from 9% to 21%. An increase of no less than 12%. The Tax and Customs Administration always says: ‘We can’t make it more fun, but we can make it easier.’ Fletcher Hotels turns this around: ‘We can’t make it easier, but we can make it more fun!’. With this in mind, Fletcher Hotels is introducing the ‘Free Stay at Fletcher Package’. Guests who come for dinner and breakfast can stay overnight for free. With this package, the VAT is 21% on €0, or 0. The package can be booked until December 1, 2025!
2 minutes read
Stayokay Eindhoven adds pods and family rooms after renovation
24-7-2025
Stayokay Eindhoven has recently completed an extensive renovation, which includes the addition of innovative pods to its room offering. Located in a former Philips factory on the vibrant Strijp-S site, the hostel now presents itself as a fresh and accessible accommodation option for a wide range of travellers. Both the rooms and common areas have been updated while preserving the characteristic charm of the historic building.
2 minutes read
Young entrepreneurs & new locations | MR PORTER Steakhouse, Bar & Lounge and Foodmaster Wageningen
6-5-2025
Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week: MR PORTER Steakhouse, Bar & Lounge and Foodmaster Wageningen.
MR PORTER Steakhouse, Bar & Lounge in London has recently opened at 22 Park Lane. This is the third location of this concept from The ENTOURAGE GROUP. With existing venues in Amsterdam and Barcelona, guests in London can now also enjoy MR or MRS PORTER steaks, among many other dishes! Foodmaster Wageningen has opened next to sports complex De Aanloop in the Noordwest district of the city. Guests can enjoy burgers, fries specials, snacks, milkshakes and Master Sundaes.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams lots of fun and success with their concepts.
2 minutes read
Trends we spotted | week 13
31-3-2025
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!
Trends we spotted | Week 08
24-2-2025
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:
- Fletcher Hotels head office staff are preparing for the annual spectacle: the ‘Fletcher Hotel Take Over’ on Sunday 23 March 2025.
- Stayokay has reopened its renovated and sustainable hostel on Kloveniersburgwal in Amsterdam, Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen.
- The CuliQuiz was launched during the Horecava. Second grand final takes place on 31 March in the H2O E-Sports Arena. Fun to participate in with a restaurant or bar team.
- PowerSoul Café, a popular Nevada-based restaurant chain known for its healthy and delicious menu, has become the first restaurant chain in the world to be independently certified down to 5 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, setting a new gold standard for gluten-free dining.
- Taco Bell® and Milk Bar® launch new Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros in the US, another crossover.
- Marriott Bonvoy and Manchester United invite the club’s most passionate fans for a once-in-a-lifetime stay in The Captain’s Suite Inspired by Legend Gary Neville.
- Enjoying a Fensterccino at the Fenster Café on the Fleischmarkt in Vienna, Austria. Their coffee is served in a cone waffle cone which is coated in chocolate.
- At The Flower Bowl Entertainment Center in Preston (UK) you can enjoy Crazy Golf, Bowling, a virtual reality ride, shuffleboard, watch a movie at their cinema or play Crazy Pool at their Cue Gardens.
Enjoy reading!
Lasagneria Senza Fondo opens in Shoreditch | Big plates, big energy and bottomless lasagna
20-2-2025
Senza Fondo, a new Italian-American restaurant promising the return of big plates and big energy, is opening in Shoreditch on the 24th of February. Spearheaded by first-time owner Joe Worthington, the Rufus Street restaurant will honour the Italian meaning of its name ‘without end’, serving up all-you-can-eat lasagna and endless good times. Saying goodbye to the small plate concept, the premium lasagneria is committed to being a celebration of great food, great drinks, and great people, with pop-up Chef Michael Bagnall at the helm of the kitchen.
2 minute read
Tebi’s ‘mobile-first’ platform raises €20 million for its retail and hospitality control system
15-10-2024
Tebi’s ‘mobile-first’ platform includes checkout, payments, stock management, a kitchen display system, reservations, QR orders and accounting. Tebi, the startup that supports independent retail and hospitality businesses with this intuitive all-in-one operational platform, has raised €20 million in funding. The Series-A-round, led by Index Ventures, is the first institutional investment the company has raised since its founding three years ago, and reflects Tebi’s growth. The aim is to unite the robustness of software that larger companies use with the intuitive experience of a consumer app.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Villa Kakelbont in Rotterdam
Villa Kakelbont in Rotterdam
Villa Kakelbont in Rotterdam
Villa Kakelbont in Rotterdam
Villa Kakelbont in Rotterdam
