Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | Café-Bar Vita Lente and KFC Rome’s flagship store
24-10-2025
Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week: Café-Bar Vita Lente, the new hotspot in Amsterdam West from former Coulisse (*) owner Simon Witmaar. And on September 28, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome.
KFC Rome boasts a truly unique location, not just for Italy, but for all of Europe. The store showcases many innovative elements in design, sustainability, service, and technology. At Café-Bar Vita Lente, fine dining has made way for a more relaxed atmosphere. The menu features robust, Southern European dishes, and plenty of wines by the glass, sherry, vermouth, and small bites made for sharing.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new and renovated concepts.
3 minutes read
Julius Meinl is serving coffee with a surprise for International Coffee Day
29-9-2025
This International Coffee Day, premium Vienna-based roaster Julius Meinl invites coffee lovers to pause, connect, and celebrate the joy found in every cup. On October 1st 2025, customers visiting participating cafés and outlets serving Julius Meinl will receive a Scratch & Win card with their coffee purchase – offering the chance to win another coffee for free, on the spot.*
Another great example of how you can capitalise on international days!
1 minute read
Trends we spotted | Week 39
29-9-2025
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:
- Ruby x ADE. Ruby Hotel Amsterdam celebrates Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) with a boutique stage for music, culture and unexpected moments in intimate setting.
- Restaurant La Mar celebrates 20 years of Peruvian culinary excellence with ‘La Mar Around the World’ menu.
- A new research-backed initiative sees physicians recommending trips to Sweden for the health benefits. ‘Sweden, first country on prescription’ by Visit Sweden.
- Hot Slices, Cold Drinks. A collab between Siegfried Gin and Domino’s Pizza Germany results in 2 small bottles of gin inspired by bestsellers pizza’s.
- The spooky season is arriving! Red Robin conjures up a Mega Monster Burger and a Mad Scientist Margarita.
- Starbucks named official coffee partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA.
- October 3 means it’s time for Leidens Ontzet – and at Snackcafé de Gaper this is celebrated in style! From 12:00 to 18:00, locals can stop by for refined snacks.
- World Tourism Day – Stefan Hartman of NHL Stenden wrote a vision: ‘Use tourism to strengthen broad prosperity, not just the economy’.
Enjoy reading!
Bagels & Beans introduces SoundBrews | A perfect blend of coffee and music
25-9-2025
Starting tomorrow, September 26, Bagels & Beans is launching SoundBrews: five music playlists paired with five different coffee varieties. Guests can experience how taste and sound enhance one another, with a giveaway full of coffee and music prizes as an extra treat. The campaign (from 26 September to 26 October inclusive) also coincides with their Animal Week (October 4–11), featuring the special Pu(m)pkin Spice Furryccino!
2 minutes read
Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | Bouillon d’Amsterdam, Friethuys Schaijk and Spaghetteria Leiden
22-9-2025
Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week, the concept of Parisian bouillon restaurants is also coming to our capital city early next year: Bouillon d’Amsterdam! A renovation of Friethuys Schaijk and in Leiden, preparations are in full swing for the opening of a Spaghetteria location.
Bouillon d’Amsterdam in the Hotel Die Port van Cleve promises high-quality food at a fair price! With dishes at affordable prices (€3 to €16), the owners aim to appeal to a big audience. Friethuys Schaijk, owned by Bart Bernsen and Luuk Vos, was renovated in three weeks and has a fresh, contemporary design for a traditional snack bar. And in Leiden, a new Spaghetteria location will open at Lange Mare 40, in October.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new and renovated concepts.
3 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 38
19-9-2025
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:
- Heineken Hoek on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam gets a new bistro concept, hearty food without fuss.
- Central Perk Coffeehouse, the iconic Friends hangout, is coming to Times Square this fall.
- The Belgium Sake Festival will take place on Octobre 4 & 5 in Antwerp.
- Restaurant Suus, the restaurant of Hotel De Plesman and culinary hotspot in The Hague, has a new chef and a new menu. And their deli Suusje has opened.
- Great tiny gesture: Scarlet Letter cocktail at Mr. Fogg’s in London.
- Mandarin Oriental will debut Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai in October 2025, located in the iconic Wasl Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road.
- Radisson Hotel Group opens Radisson Collection The National Hotel, Brussels, located at the prestigious The National Golf Brussels, 15 minutes from the city centre.
- We recently came across a great example of HosPETality – a BARKUTERIE Board – at BrewDog South Eveleigh in Australia!
- The first NYC Bakery Run takes place this weekend, we wonder when the first Bakery Run will be held in Amsterdam?
Enjoy reading!
Young entrepreneurs & new locations | The Salsa Shop at Rotterdam Central and Bagels & Beans in Utrecht
19-8-2025
Every day we spot fun, new concepts. This week: new, young entrepreneurs taking over Bagels & Beans at Mariaplaats in Utrecht – Luc Boerrigter and Lynn Rademaker! And a brand-new Salsa Shop location at Rotterdam Central Station, where travellers can enjoy Mexican favourites between the tracks.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams lots of joy and success with their new ventures.
2 minutes read
HEINZ and Smoothie King launch the first-ever Ketchup Smoothie
18-8-2025
HEINZ and Smoothie King have teamed up to answer the playful cultural question: if tomatoes are a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie? Their answer comes in the form of the HEINZ Tomato Ketchup Smoothie, a limited-edition blend that combines HEINZ Simply Tomato Ketchup with real fruits, creating a sweet yet tangy summer drink. Available for a limited time at some locations of the Smoothie King in the US.
2 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 33
15-8-2025
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:
- Polish bakery brand Fit Cake, with over 80 locations in Poland, has opened its first Canadian store on Toronto’s Bloor Street West, offering signature gluten- and sugar-free treats!
- Sugar-free vanilla ice cream at restaurant Sel Gris in Knokke-Heist, proof that dietary restrictions can still taste delicious! And why not put in on your menu?
- The world’s only Michelin three-star vegan restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, will serve meat and fish again. Check out all the details of this change in the article.
- Xi Home Dumplings -The dumpling Bay in London, together with Marley Bones Dog Food, is serving free doggy dumplings from National Dog Day through September 9.
- Located in Hollywood, California, the Tesla Diner combines a supercharging station, a classic American diner and a drive-in experience, all in one.
- In the US, The Peach Cobbler Factory created mobile units to bring its desserts to smaller towns and other events.
- IHG Hotels & Resorts Brings ‘Bed on the Baseline’ to the 2025 US Open.
- Dave & Buster’s has opened its second location in India—a 22,000 sq. ft. venue on the fourth floor of the Infiniti Mall in Mumbai, in partnership with the Malpani Group. And they have many upcoming venues planned!
Enjoy reading!
HosPETality | Tail-wagging ideas to pamper four-legged guests
11-8-2025
On August 26, it’s International Dog Day once again – the perfect moment to share some more fun examples of how the four-legged friends of guests are welcomed in hotels and restaurants. More and more, we see reels showing even large dogs going on holiday, sometimes even flying on planes! Honestly, I can’t imagine taking our office dog Jimmy on a long flight… In this article other examples of HosPETality, like: the Chief Happiness Officer at the Fairmont Tokyo, enjoying a martini, beer or ice cream with your dog, off-leash play areas, a ‘Dog Stick Library’ and more. ^Marjolein
This article follows up on our earlier HosPETality piece from 2022, with more examples of pet-friendly initiatives.
3 minutes read
Café-Bar Vita Lente - the new hotspot in Amsterdam West - credits Jois Ang 
Café-Bar Vita Lente - the new hotspot in Amsterdam West - credits Jois Ang 
Café-Bar Vita Lente - the new hotspot in Amsterdam West - credits Jois Ang 
In September 2025, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome
In September 2025, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome
In September 2025, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome
In September 2025, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome
