Trends we spotted | Week 26
30-6-2020
Here in the Netherlands it looks like we control the #Covid-19 outbreak and we’re trying to get used to the new normal. We wish all those living in areas where all the measurements against the pandemic are still in place to stay healthy and take care of each other.
At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu 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’.
This week, among other links to articles about Prosecco Rosé that will hit the market in 2021 and about a Ramen Pizza, created by Pizza Hut and Japanese ramen chain Menya Musashi.
In Reykjavík ICE & FRIES opened their doors, a selfservice concept with a bionic bar. Two cocktail-shaking and dancing robots create more than 150 drinks per hour.
And in New York the city government is considering extensive road closures as part of its plans to slowly reopen its economy, The architecture and design company The Rockwell Group have created a modular kit to create safe terraces on the pavements.
Airbnb is going to measure discrimination at their platform, they’re creating a system in cooperation with Color Of Change and with guidance from civil rights and privacy rights organizations. The project is called Project Lighthouse. And Starbucks introduces an Impossible Breakfast Sandwich in selected locations in the U.S.
Flexotels | Mobile ‘corona proof’ booth to visit grandparents safely
9-4-2020
Yesterday, my sister and I brought laundry, literature and treats for Easter to my mother who lives in a care home. A cheerfully waving mother behind the window of her room, but also a lot of misunderstanding about why we do not come in. Flexotels in the Netherlands, which normally rent out mobile sleeping units for large events, have changed a number of these units as a mobile ‘corona proof’ booth. A good example of positive ‘thinking different’! In Asten (in the south of the Netherlands, the Hof of Bluyssen was the first to purchase such a container. ^Marjolein
Materialise’s 3D printed hands-free door opener eliminates direct contact with door handle
17-3-2020
3D Printing technology may lend a hand in preventing the spread of the Coronavirus. Materialise, a Belgium-based pioneer in 3D printing, has designed a 3D printed door opener that makes it possible to open and close doors with your arm, removing the need for direct contact with door handles. The company is offering the printable design for free and calling upon the global 3D printing community to 3D print the door opener and make it available all around the world.
Call for anyone who can print this hands-free door opener in 3D…. The file can be downloaded here.
“The power of 3D printing in combination with Materialise’s three decades of 3D printing expertise made it possible to turn an idea into an innovative product in less than 24 hours,” says Fried Vancraen CEO of Materialise. “By making the design available digitally, it can be produced on 3D printers everywhere and become available around the world in a matter of hours. In this case, we designed the product in Belgium and people in China, Europe or the U.S. can now 3D print the door opener locally.”
BUNK hotel Amsterdam |A new hotspot in the former Sint-Rita church
9-3-2020
After the booming success in Utrecht, Amsterdam now also gets a BUNK Hotel. BUNK opened its doors on the 5th of March in the former Sint-Rita church in Amsterdam North. After a thorough renovation, the monumental building has room for 300 guests. Is it a hotel with hostel prices? Or a hostel with the quality and service of a hotel? BUNK invites you to experience it yourself. BUNK has a sympathetically priced restaurant and a broad cultural programming. With the compact rooms and Pods, the lively shared spaces and the free cultural offer, BUNK focuses on connecting with the neighborhood and the world.
Last Tuesday, the 3rd of March, I was present at a dinner at the BUNK hotel. You are already impressed upon arrival by the transformation of this large church into a hotel. Great to see the BUNK pods but also the 107 compact rooms in the belly of the church, a separate concept. From April onwards you can and go sleep there, I believe this is a special and pleasant experience in Amsterdam. It’s also a great place to enjoy dinner with dishes based on various international cuisines, including that of Amsterdam. ^ Oscar van der Maas
Dubbel Dubbel Toil and Trouble | #PumpkinRescue campaign after Halloween
7-11-2019
15 million pumpkins were carved but not eaten last Halloween – symbolic of a systemic food waste epidemic. Toast Ale, Hubbub and Brewdog Tower Hill Outpost want to change that. The 4th of November they brewed seasonal beer that tackles seasonal food waste as part of Hubbub’s annual #PumpkinRescue campaign.
Although Halloween isn’t that big yet in the Netherlands we have a lot of pumpkins as well. We already loved the idea of Toast Ale and their initiative for the pumpkin ale, Dubbel Dubbel Toil and Trouble, is another food waste initiative we love to write about!
Stroodles, the pasta straws | Say ‘Pasta la Vista’ to Plastic and Paper Straws
21-10-2019
A pasta straw company, Stroodles, has launched pasta straws to provide an environmentally friendly solution to the singe-use plastic crisis and rise of greenwashing from the paper straw industry. In comparison to soggy paper and plastic straws, Stroodles are an improvement as they provide greater durability, are flavourless, vegan, 100% biodegradable and are edible raw or cooked after use. A core principle for Stroodles is their ‘drink-easy’ ethos, meaning drinkers don’t has to change behaviour or compromise on drinking experience to do good for the environment. The straws are 23-25 cm long, 0.75cm thick and the pasta straw walls will last over an hour in any one drink and remain flavourless! And they’re biodegradable in hours not generations!
Another alternative for plastic straws which we can add to our list! And we think at least every Italian restaurant should use these stroodles!
Horecatrends | Tips for Culinary videos worth watching – week 28
12-7-2019
YouTube has been a source of inspiration for spotting trends the past few years. Every day, thousands of movies are uploaded with new and interesting content. We too sometimes use videos as a source of inspiration to write about. With this week again a selection of 3 videos which our colleague Manual Imanse thinks are worth watching.
This week links to videos about ‘What coffee looks like around the world and why menuca honey from New Zealand is so expensive. And since the beginning of July, amusement park Walibi Holland has a new attraction: the Untamed.
Horecatrends | Tips for Culinary videos worth watching – week 21
22-5-2019
YouTube has been a source of inspiration for spotting trends the past few years. Every day, thousands of movies are uploaded with new and interesting content. We too sometimes use videos as a source of inspiration to write about. With this week again a selection of 3 videos which our colleague Vera Rauwerda thinks are worth watching.
This week videos about a group of fisher women from India, they created a small innovation in order to catch more oysters! And a video about a cathedral made of bread in Italy. Finally, a video in which they show how to make plastic from the remains of a lobster.
Dinner With The Queen | Culinary bee experience!
21-5-2019
These days, more and more people are becoming aware that without bees there are no more bell peppers, raspberries or mustard. Each of those crops is only viable after pollination by a bee, and they are not the only ones! No less than three-quarters of all our vegetable crops only come into existence after pollination. As if that wasn’t enough, these brightly colored creatures are the creators of the so-called ‘nectar of the gods’: honey. With “Dinner With The Queen” organizer Gilles De Backer and chef Lieven Lootens pay tribute to the flowers and bees, especially the queen bee. You can reserve for a culinary bee experience from 17 June to 14 July on their website. Location: ‘Plukweide purfruit’ on the outskirts of East & West Flanders in Belgium: Dentergem, Oeselgem.
Kever Genever launches Kever 0.0% | What do you drink if you do not want to drink?
14-5-2019
In 2016 we posted an article about Kever genever, the Amsterdam jenever (Dutch gin) brand. The brand wants to become the most innovative ‘jenever’ brand in the Netherlands. A first step in that direction is the introduction of the Kever 0.0% , ‘jenever’ without alcohol and therefore in line with the trend of conscious alcohol consumption. On May 10 2019, Kever started a crowdfunding campaign on the CrowdAboutNow platform. With this campaign they want to raise a minimum of € 100,000 up to a maximum of € 200,000 in order to be able to realize Kever 0.0%, but also to launch other high-profile Kever Genevers within 3 years. Meanwhile, 120% of their goal has been achieved and the crowdfunding still has 35 days to go!
