Valentine’s Day at a restaurant
20-1-2015
The annual day of love declarations is in our sights again. Every year it’s an exciting day, especially for singles. Will they get an anonymous rose at work or in the classroom? As this year’s Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday, it offers a valuable opportunity for the hospitality industry. A lot of people will enjoy Valentine’s Day at a restaurant. Both for a romantic evenings eating out as well as for the bachelors looking for a singles-only dinner.
Valentine’s Day in the USA
Last year, Valentine’s Day was on a Friday and because many restaurants in America were fully booked, Wieden + Kennedy New York created a social media campaign on behalf of Heineken. By using the #DateInABox hashtag on Twitter women could provoke a declaration of love from their (future) boyfriend. The guys who received the social media love declaration had to share the message to all their Instagram-followers declaring their love via the channel like real romantic ‘softies’. With the hashtag #DateInABox the couples could win a surprise date for two.
Valentine’s day at a restaurant and hospitality / leisure industry
In recent years we have collected inspiring examples for Valentine’s Day at a restaurant and in the hospitality / leisure industry. Some examples are a romantic egg , the ultimate attention as a gift (by putting your phone off) , running a race with your sweetheart or share a gigantic dessert .
Cocktail presentation in a creative way
14-1-2015
Be creative and serve your cocktails in a flask or create your own merchandise. A great way of cocktail presentation!
Years ago I regularly went to eat at a Japanese Steakhouse in Houston that served cocktails in white Geisha or Buddha sculptures. In a bowl behind the sculpture, they put the cocktail in a plastic glass. The straw was placed through one of the nostrils (if I remember correctly). By paying a few more dollars, you could take your Geisha of Buddha sculpture home. A popular collector’s item amongst colleague stewardesses at the time.
Cocktail presentation in a flask
Recently I saw an article at Thrillist about cocktails served in a flask. They’ve posted eight different examples of cocktail presentation at their website. If you own a cocktail bar you can serve cocktails from these flasks, with the name of your bar on it. I suppose that a lot of people are willing to pay a bit extra to keep the bottle! And if more people are coming to your bar because of the delicious cocktails that you serve in these trendy flasks, you create your own merchandise!
Be creative…
This can also be done with other items, of course. If you have teenage daughters you probably know how popular the merchandising of the Hard Rock Café is. Wouldn’t you buy a cup of coffee (and the cup) if it’s served in a cup shaped like a wooden shoe? If you visited Amsterdam? Determine what you could offer to charm your guests! (And of course what brings them back more often) ^Marjolein
Second store for De Bakkerswinkel in Rotterdam
13-1-2015
De Bakkerswinkel opened the doors of their second store in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) on 9 January.
Everybody can go to the bakery for breakfast, freshly made sandwiches, a high tea, cake, coffee or a drink with snacks. Besides a big restaurant there is a takeaway shop where you can get a quick coffee and different sandwiches but also buy a cake or marmalade.
Interior
The bakery is located in a former bank office. Designer Piet Hein Eek designed the bakery. De Bakkerswinkel creates new products with respect for the traditional ingredients, Piet Hein Eek designed the restaurant/store in the same way, with respect and understanding of the materials.
De Bakkerswinkel
De Bakkerswinkel is a growing company with eight locations in Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam (all in The Netherlands). ‘De Bakkerswinkel’ is not a chain, each location is unique and has its own atmosphere and identity tailored to the environment. Each branch contains a store, a restaurant, a traditional bakery and kitchen that can be seen by guests.
Piet Hekker is the founder and owner of De Bakkerswinkel. He wanted to create a place where people feel at home. The funding is realized through crowdfunding. With crowdfunding a lot of guests are participating in ‘De Bakkerswinkel’! We earlier wrote about De Bakkerswinkel in Amsterdam West who recently also opened in the evenings.
The Crushi is crunchy sushi
12-1-2015
Jeroen van de Velde and Martijn Klein are the designers of Crushi. Crushi is sushi with a crunchy, tasteful layer.
Crushi
The crunchy sushi is a snack with fresh ingredients and has a low amount of calories. This makes the crunchy sushi a responsible choice. The crunchy sushi doesn’t contain artificial colours nor flavours.
Crushi is created at the kitchen of restaurant Inspired in Utrecht (The Netherlands), and is based on two different foodtrends: sushi and fingerfood. The crunchy sushi will be launched at the Horecava 2015 from 12 till 15 January. The California Crushi will be presented and consist out of: surimi, wakame and Japanese omelet. Later on there will be more varieties.
Restaurant recipes from Amsterdam at Bilder & De Clercq
9-1-2015
The restaurant recipes and ingredients from well-known Amsterdam restaurants are soon available at Bilder & De Clercq shops. From 22 January onwards the dinner-shops at the Clercqstraat and Ceintuurbaan will sell a new signature dish from a restaurant in Amsterdam. The step-by-step recipes come with the necessary ingredients measured in the right quantity.
Participating restaurants
The first three participating restaurants are Envy, Par Hasard and Americano Bar & Kitchen. The following participating restaurants that share one of their restaurant recipes are revealed after the launch. The shop creates a brilliant crossover with the Amsterdam restaurant industry and vice versa.
About Bilder & De Clercq
Bilder & De Clercq was set up by Roger Leopold and Diederik van Gelder. Both live in Amsterdam and daily had to contend with the question “what will I have for dinner tonight?”. Finding the right dishes and ingredients was a frustrating quest that they want to end for everyone with their shop.
Inspire with restaurant recipes
At the dinner-store it’s easy to get inspiration for the right dinner with 14 different dishes available, there is always plenty of choice. The right quantities are exactly measured. Each week, three new dishes are introduced and now monthly restaurant recipes with ingredients will be available as well.
Espressobar
Next to dinner inspiration, Bilder & De Clercq sells hand-made bread and a wide variety for breakfast, lunch and drinks as well. With a few tables and an espresso bar shoppers can enjoy a cappuccino with carrot cake while having a break.
Wallvertising by Pieter Ceizer for Warsteiner
8-1-2015
In 2014 the premium beer brand Warsteiner had several walls decorated with a unique design in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. These authentic ‘wallvertising’ was made by artist Pieter Ceizer (from Amsterdam) and is to admire at café PIEK (Rotterdam), the Ruyschkamer (Amsterdam) and the ‘We Are Labels’ boutique in the Pijp (Amsterdam).
This project is inspired by the old New York phenomenon of ads that are painted on the sides of buildings, remnants of a lost era of urban life. Warsteiner wants to support the comeback of this traditional art form, because it brings back the craft and centers the artist.
Wallvertising – display the correct message
Pieter Ceizer plays not only with images, but also knows for each brand how to convey the right message in its own style. Expect unexpected puns that directly capture the essence such as “The biggest small family brewery” for Warsteiner. At the individual sites Pieter Ceizer knew how to subtly process the identity of cafe owners in his murals. “Brothers from other mothers” in the cafe De Ruyschkamer refers to the two young owners, who are brothers, but do not have the same mother. When entering café PIEK the intimate nature of the cafe is immediately clear by the artist interpretation: “Where everybody knows your name.”
Warsteiner + art and creative initiatives
The Warsteiner family has a special relationship with art and creative initiatives for generations . The family does not only has an impressive art collection, but also has close ties with several artists. Four years ago, Warsteiner Netherlands launched a seeding program in cooperation with BLEND \ BUREAUX. With this program the premium beer brand supports initiatives in the art- and fashion scene, such as exhibition openings and other events where a creative approach has been put central.
Pisco Embassy; Cocktails with Pisco
30-12-2014
Pisco Embassy, London’s first late-night Pisco bar opened mid-November on Upper Street in Islington. Another single booze bar!
Next to the immense culinary popularity, it looks like the cocktails with Peru’s Pisco liquor are gaining popularity as well. I used to travel to Lima (Peru) a number of times and really enjoyed a Pisco Sour back then. When I read that the Pisco Embassy in London opened in the newsletter from The Food People, it brought back cocktail licious memories! That’s why I went looking for the original recipe for a Pisco Sour, as shown in the video by Epicurious.
Pisco Embassy; Cocktails with Pisco
The cocktail menu at Pisco Embassy offers twists on classic cocktails with Pisco; such as the Pisco Embassy Punch (Pisco mixed with fresh pineapple juice and a touch of lemon), Machu Picchu Nights (Pisco infused with Shisho leaves, shaken with lemon juice, red basil syrup, mixed berry purée and pressed apple juice) and Chicha Sour (Pisco with Peruvian purple corn syrup and lemon juice).Head bartender José Francisco-Modonese, hailing from Lima, is passionate about his country’s national spirit, the grape brandy Pisco. He gets his inspiration from visits to Peru during the harvesting and distilling time of Pisco. He visits the vineyards, Bodegas and specialized Pisco bars and brings new ideas back to London. The Pisco Embassy serves cocktails with infused Pisco liquors. ^Marjolein
Wine from a Tube
29-12-2014
Dijkwijn is a label by Nouvino, a new player in the wine arena in the Netherlands that makes “enjoying quality wine durable and affordable by out-of-the-box thinking.”
In France we have the ‘vin en vrac’, containers of 5 or 10 liters in which you can buy wine in bulk directly at a winery. In the supermarkets you can also buy the BiB (Bag in Box). The Wine Tube by Dijkwijn is a new sustainable and stylish alternative in this category.
The Wine Tube
The wine tube is filled with sustainably produced wine from traditional wineries. The tube is made from recycled FSC carton and contains the contents of almost three bottles of wine. A smart vacuum system preserves the wine two months after opening. Efficient transport and storage result in lower cost and less CO2 emissions than with a traditional bottle. In addition, the tube stays cool longer and is easier to recycle than glass bottle.
Dijkwijn Bianco and Rosso
Trebbiano and Grechetto grapes from the family Sabbata form the basis for the Dijkwijn Bianco. Wine farmer Primo de Sabbata delivers Sangiovese and Merlot grapes from the Tuscan hills of Arezzo for the Rosso variant.
Who is behind Dijkwijn?
The team consists of Hans van Minnen (quality, logistics, marketing, buying and selling), Sandra Kars (general organization, design, marketing, social media and supporting buying and selling), Michiel Zijlstra (design, websites and online promotion) and Nikaj Pennings (quality, marketing and sales).
Christmas cocktails by Cocktailicious
15-12-2014
We read more and more about winter cocktails, innovative cocktails with tea, coffee or other strange combination and newly opened cocktail bars. On the website Cocktailicious cocktail lover Caroline writes about cocktails, including 250 different recipes and various cocktail bars. For the Holidays we want to suggest the recipes for the Christmas Spoom and the luxury Christmas punch to surprise your guests.
The first cocktail shaker that composes a unique ‘Hospitality Trends cocktail’ for us will be awarded with a spot in our hall of fame!
Check the recipes for the Christmas Spoom and the Christmas punch (Dutch).
Winter garden in Amsterdam
15-12-2014
How do you use your outdoor area during the cold days? Do you transform it into a cozy winter garden or do you prefer a skating rink on the roof terrace? For three months Restaurant & Bar Herengracht changes its outdoor area into a winter wonderland. With heaters, fire places and a semi-roofed terrace it is a nice place to be during these dark days.
The Winter Garden Amsterdam
The Winter Garden is open from late November till late February 2015. There will be three matching winter events, each with a cool theme.
Typical wintry
At the terrace the temperature will be a few degrees higher than on the streets. Not only the ‘heaters’ cause these higher temperatures, but also by the nose warming winter cocktails, mulled wine and hot chocolate served from the special outdoor bar. Typical wintry snacks and dishes like homemade pea soup, cheese fondue and game completes this winter concept.
Three special winter events
The winter garden will set the stage for three events at Restaurant & Bar ‘Herengracht’, which is located near the ‘Koningsplein’ in Amsterdam. The first event will be hosted in Christmas spheres on 20 December, the second event highlights the theme ‘let’s go wild’ on 24 January with wild boar on the spit, the final special is a huge cheese fondue party.
