The first Michelin star for restaurant LIZZ in Gouda
25-4-2023
The team of restaurant LIZZ received their first Michelin star during the festive award ceremony. “The star feels like a confirmation that we are on the right track,” said Executive Chef Remco Kuijpers.
Since yesterday the Netherlands has 17 new 1-star restaurants and 1 one new 2-stars restaurant. The Dutch restaurant scene is getting redder and redder with 103 one Michelin stars, 20 two Michelin stars and 2 restaurants with three Michelin stars! We congratulate all restaurateurs and chefs on their new and retained Michelin stars. A background story on the first Michelin star for restaurant LIZZ at the Relais & Châteaux Weeshuis in Gouda.
Trends we spotted | Week 16
24-4-2023
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 among others Brian Mackenzie, who as head concierge of NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace has been awarded the prestigious title: Second Vice President of Les Clefs d’Or.
Chefs from JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs will be cooking on Swan Hellenic ships, culinary delights on beautiful sea voyages! For chocolate lovers, we spotted a ‘Bar à Mousse au Chocolat’ in Paris.
Barilla’s ‘Open Carbonara’ brings inclusivity to the table by reinventing a classic dish and making it suitable for Halal, vegan and Kosher. And in London, Energize Games opened, a new addition to the thriving activity bar scene.
The theme of the Prêt-à-Portea Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley for spring/summer 2023 is known: From Catwalk to Cakewalk. And the first permanent OREO café outside the US has opened at Doha International Airport.
Berlin-based GaeaStar aims to solve the problem of single-use plastic using an age-old Indian solution, cups and bowls made of clay. And Hyatt Hotels Corporation recently announced the official opening of the new boutique hotel The Pell, part of the JdV by Hyatt brand.
McDonald’s USA has been cooking up small but tasty improvements to the Big Mac® sandwich and other hamburgers. They’ve caught the attention of McDonald’s resident mischief-maker, the Hamburglar.
Nagano sake roadshow | Sake tastings in Belgium
21-4-2023
The Nagano prefecture in Japan is sending a delegation to Belgium in May to teach those interested about sake for two weeks. Sake and Japanese cuisine are becoming increasingly popular in fine dining and trendy restaurants in Belgium, but few people actually know what sake is. In collaboration with the local Japanese government and Belgian sake importer Kaori, a Japanese brewmaster and sake expert from the Nagano prefecture will give tastings, workshops, and training for two weeks. If you’re quick, you can book a spot at participating restaurants DIM Dining, Zuru Zuru, Chef Yoshi, Nikoniko, and Tanuki, but CRU and Filliers are also ready to host the Nagano sake roadshow.
Trends we spotted | Week 15
18-4-2023
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’s links to articles about among others Tesla’s GigaBier and a culinary experience, ‘Backstage at De Librije (***)’..
High-end burger bar THE BUTCHER recently announced the introduction of extra special limited edition burgers and a McDonald’s outlet in Batumi, Georgia has a special exterior completely made of glass, link to photos.
For fans of Fanta: they have created a new perfume called ‘Scent of Fanta’ and a special place for a Starbucks shop in the middle of a botanical greenhouse in Japan.
In Helsinki, the VAloHalli opened which is a showroom and entertaiment centre by Valo Motion, where, among other things, you can play 6-player digital games in the ValoArena. With video! And in New York and Chicago, a pop-up Malibu Barbie Café opens in May. An idea by Bucket Listers.
In the USA the fortune cookie message will now be written by ChatGPT
13-4-2023
OpenFortune is one of the fastest growing media platforms that delivers creative advertising via fortune cookies at 47,000 restaurants in the U.S.. They have announced a transformational shift in their content creation strategy: embracing OpenAI’s ChatGPT for writing fortune messages. This move will enable OpenFortune to effectively provide an unlimited number of completely new, unique fortunes to millions of consumers dining at restaurants and at home, all while maintaining the integrity of traditional fortune cookies.
Order Domino’s Pizza through Apple CarPlay
13-4-2023
In the U.S.A. you now have the convenience of ordering Domino’s Pizza from your car, without waiting in long drive-thru lines. The largest pizza company in the world is giving customers a new and more efficient way to order while on the go: via Domino’s iOS app on Apple CarPlay.
Taste ‘Bara chicken’ by two-Michelin stars chef Soenil Bahadoer at the bakeries of Shell stations
13-4-2023
Following in the footsteps of Dutch heroes, Shell is introducing the theme ‘Taste the world’s cuisine’ this year. Every quarter, Shell introduces a new themed range inspired by world flavours. This quarter, the focus is on Surinamese and Indian cuisine and Shell entered into a temporary collaboration with Soenil Bahadoer, chef and owner of the two Michelin-starred restaurant De Lindehof. The specials developed by Soenil are now available at all Shell stations with a bakery in the Netherlands.
Fruit beers by Lowlander | Brewed with surplus fruit
13-4-2023
Botanical brewer Lowlander has been brewing for years with herbs, spices and fresh fruit, or botanicals, each bringing its own unique flavour. Now the botanical brewer is going one step further, launching a rotating range of fruit beers. Fruit beers by Lowlander are brewed with fruit and botanical ingredients added to a white beer base. This not only results in deliciously complex new flavour combinations without unnecessary additives, but also reduces food waste.
Trends we spotted | Week 14
11-4-2023
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, among other things, the lightest champagne bottle in the world from Telmont Champagne, made from glass with 35 grams less weight than the standard bottle. And event location SugarCity Events has a new name: SugarFactory, located in Halfweg near Amsterdam.
A ‘Bucket List Program’ for the employees of the Dutch hotel management company IHCP to attract and keep more staff. And Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam West is looking for a hospitality partner.
McDonald’s will introduce new products this summer in the Netherlands, including the Milk Shake Tropical, McFlurry Maltesers, (Veggie) McWrap Greek and Pop Dots. And in London, the Prada Caffé has opened, an ultra-stylish ‘caffé’ in Harrods. A pop-up until early 2024.
The ‘Do good’ initiative of the ‘The Present Movement’ received an investment from the Start Foundation for scaling up their homeless program ‘ROOM FOR CHANGE’. This program helps economically homeless people who are temporarily accommodated in hotels.
The Michelin stars have been published in Germany. Chef Jan Hartwig was immediately awarded 3 Michelin stars in his new restaurant JAN. And spotted in America: the first ‘Rule the Drive-Thru’ game show from Checkers® & Rally’s®.
Beaches Resorts released new Sensory Guides in their autism program
7-4-2023
Home to the Caribbean’s first advanced autism-friendly kids camps, and as the first all-inclusive resort company in the world to complete the rigorous International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) and Autism Certification, Beaches® Resorts expands its exemplary autism program with the release of all-new Sensory Guides. Carefully developed by the IBCCES and designed to allow caregivers and guests with cognitive disabilities to more comfortably navigate the on-resort experience based on specific sensory sensitivities, the Sensory Guides comprise extensive resort maps with public areas – such as the resorts’ many pools, dining spaces, and sports hubs – rated on a 1-10 scale of sensory stimulation.
This month is Autism Acceptance Month (April 2023) and we spotted this another initiative for guests on the autism spectrum in the Legoland Resorts in North America. They will become ‘Certified Autism Centers’ this spring. Are there initiatives like this in Europe?