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Trends we spotted | Week 32

8-8-2025

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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:

• Inspiration for restaurant chains? Hard Rock Cafe announced the five finalists for its annual World Burger Tour.
• Spotted at an Instagram reel – A £2 toilet trip in Budapest at – POP&ROLL Art Toilet. Combining art, design and utility!
• The 4-star citizenM Dublin St. Patrick’s hotel recently opened with a chaotic pillow fight, great idea!
• Starting August 12, McDonald’s invites fans in the U.S. on a nostalgic journey to McDonaldland.
• Since the end of July, you can enjoy a special drink at all participating Burger King restaurants in Germany: The Summernades! Drinks topped with cotton candy.
• To celebrate the festive opening of the Efteling Grand Hotel, the Efteling placed the world’s largest ribbon bow on the façade of its new luxury hotel. Guinness World Record!
• This summer, McDonald’s Germany invites guests on a global culinary journey with 22 international menu items from 17 countries. Mit Mecces um die Welt.
• Since August 1st, Postillion Hotels has been serving Plant First: their entire food offering, from lunch and dinner buffets to walking dinners and snacks, now has a plant-based foundation.
• The inspiration for the 2025 Duvel Designer Glass comes from artist Loes van Delft. With her design for the iconic glass, she and Duvel advocate for connection and softness.

Enjoy reading!

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Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | Summer Terrace by Bisous, de IJshaven en Foodmaster

5-8-2025

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Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week, a unique summer collaboration: Summer Terrace by Bisous, a charming new ice cream shop in Leiden called De IJshaven, and a new owner for Foodmaster Alphen aan den Rijn.

Restaurant Bisous is closed for the month of August and has launched Summer Terrace by Bisous on the terrace of restaurant Daalder. In Leiden, a new artisanal ice cream shop has opened at Haven 20: De IJshaven – the dream of entrepreneurs Esther and Zoë. And in Alphen aan den Rijn, Foodmaster has welcomed a new owner. In addition to the standard menu, she will introduce specialty items such as homemade rendang.

We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.

2 minutes read

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ICE! by the Gaylord Hotels returns for the 2025 Holiday Season

4-8-2025

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This winter, the iconic holiday attraction ICE! by the Gaylord Hotels returns to six U.S. resorts, offering guests a magical walk-through world of hand-carved ice sculptures, live shows, and family-friendly Christmas activities. The event features over 2 million pounds of ice, sculpted into scenes from classic holiday stories by master artisans from Harbin, China.

We wrote about ICE! by Gaylord Hotels back in 2023, but who doesn’t love this iconic holiday tradition? It’s also a great reminder to start planning your own Christmas event. This experience is especially inspiring for smaller hotel or restaurant chains looking to create memorable, guest-attracting holiday moments.

2 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 31

1-8-2025

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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:

• Tomorrow (August 2) Pride Amsterdam’ Canal Parade is celebrated. A great beer to enjoy during the Pride and beyond is the IPGAY by Queer Beer. A tropical summer beer with a statement!
• At Lotti’s Bar in The Hoxton hotel in Amsterdam, you can enjoy a glitter brunch during the Pride. And The Jollof Club from August 7 through September offers refined African cuisine by chef Nicolas Aquaa.
• Le Bristol Paris is celebrating their centenary! They unveiled the Eden Suite, a lush 6th-floor sanctuary dedicated to wellness luxury.
• ‘Une collab gourmande’ between Deliveroo × French Bandit’s. Order a meal for yourself and receive a pet toy! A great way to target pet owners? We love the pizza slice and baguette toy!
• Glacerie Enzo & Lily Libre in Paris. Here Lionel Chauvin creates spectacular ice cream flavours – like glace hot dog or glace bouillabaisse. But we love to taste his glace Fraise des bois blanche.
• Immersive restaurant pop-up of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ in Santa Monica. Subway® sends fans to their Happy Place!
• A great example of a family room! We love the Rocket Room, spotted at the Shangri-La Singapore.
• Center Parcs De Vossemeren is the first location of this brand that unveiled their completely renovated restaurants. A collab with Albron.
• Design hotel brand TRIBE, part of Accor hotels, is expanding rapidly in Europe, with among others a new location in the Netherlands, TRIBE Den Haag Centraal.

Enjoy reading!

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Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | Ikigai, restaurant Salut and the Salsa Shop

28-7-2025

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Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week: restaurant Salut in De Pijp, lunch concept Ikigai in Leiden, and the latest Salsa Shop opening at Amsterdam Central Station.

In the heart of De Pijp in Amsterdam, Restaurant Salut has opened its doors: an all-day café combining French charm with Mediterranean comfort. The concept comes from the entrepreneurs behind restaurant Bisous. In Leiden, a new lunch spot has launched on Haarlemmerstraat: Ikigai. Here, you can enjoy sandwiches with Japanese toppings on brioche bread, paninis, and special drinks. Lastly, the Salsa Shop recently opened its 18th location. At Amsterdam Central Station, you can now grab a fresh burrito or quesadilla!

We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.

2 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 30

25-7-2025

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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:

• Eataly makes its Dutch debut at Schiphol Airport! Enjoy their Italian specialties at Lounge 1.
• For its Summer 2025 menu at the EMEA markets (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Starbucks took inspiration from Treviso, the birthplace of tiramisu. The result? A Tiramisu Cream Cold Foam.
• Another Coffee trend spotted in the US: the Iced Coconut Water Americano.
• Essendi, a leading hotel owner and operator in Europe, announces a strategic partnership with Workplace Pride during Pride Amsterdam 2025. The agreement was signed in their INK Amsterdam hotel.
• KFC’s new marketing campaign features a serious Colonel who ‘would not be happy’ about the brand’s recent market share loss. See how they’re taking on this challenge.
• Lawa blends ‘Mario Kart and Strava’ to make movement fun for teens and brands. Available in the Netherlands and it’s possibly interesting for amusement parks, too.
• Mattel recently launched the first-ever UNO Social Club in Las Vegas—an immersive game night experience combining competition, fun, and social connection. More locations are on the way!
• Spotted on Instagram: ‘unbreakable glasses’ by Djuce Studio. Made from Tritan copolyester and we love the way they look!
• Would you like to play a golf game at your wedding? We’ve also spotted fun mini golf games to enjoy with friends!

Enjoy reading!

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Chipotle launches global ‘album premiere listening party’ with pop star Alex Warren

17-7-2025

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Today, Thursday July 17, Chipotle Mexican Grill is teaming up with singer and Chipotle superfan Alex Warren for a unique global event: an album premiere listening party for his new album You’ll Be Alright, Kid. From 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM local time, the album will be played in nearly 4,000 Chipotle locations across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and France. It’s the first time an artist has ever launched new music in this many restaurants simultaneously. The album will be officially available on all streaming platforms starting July 18.

This album premiere listening party is a unique collaboration between an artist and a restaurant chain! Inspiration for others?

2 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 28

14-7-2025

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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:

• Nazuna Inc. which operates friendly, luxurious machiya inns in Kyoto, has launched a new experienced-based recruitment model: ‘Stay first, then interview’. An inspiring approach?
• Wouldn’t it be great to have a cookies ATM at your favourite bakery? In Darwin, Australia The Cookie Lab has just that: its very own Cookies ATM.
• The Lobby in Amsterdam has once again affirmed its status as a top wine destination, earning two Wine Spectator’s 2025 Restaurant Awards and they start Cork-Free Mondays.
•  Using local events in your marketing strategy is a classic tactic. The Ivy Collection gives us with a great example with their Centre Court Melting Bombe during Wimbledon.
• As of July 1st, McDonald’s Switzerland has introduced a new twist on their iconic McRaclette burger: a chicken version.
• The Aussie Jawssie cocktail and the Sharky Temple mocktail are back at Outback Steakhouse locations across the US. We love the names and the presentation!
• Check out this interesting on QSR Magazine about KFC’s bold new brand: Saucy by KFC is shaking up the fast food world.
• At International Hotel Capital Partners (IHCP), employees can save for personal dreams through their innovative Bucketlist Programme. Here is a great example of how it works.
• On Thursday, July 17, the terrace of WOLF Food Market in Antwerp will once again transform into an open-air cinema. Expect a screening of the movie Pulp Fiction, a Campari Spritz and an exclusive live BBQ by Rambo.

 Enjoy reading!

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New Summer Drinks | Will we also go for a Sarti Spritz, a Matchatini or a Spicy Sauvy B?

8-7-2025

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We’ve been enjoying glorious summer weather for a few weeks now, and the popular seasonal drinks are already known. Mocktails, cocktails, spritz variations, rosé, and white wine remain favourites. Still, we’re seeing some new developments, both here in the Netherlands and around the world. Hard seltzers have firmly established themselves here in the Netherlands, especially at festivals, and alcohol-free beer is becoming increasingly popular. We’re curious whether summer drinks like the Sarti Spritz, the Matchatini, Osan Drinks, Established, and wines such as Kaiken Disobedience from Argentina will become more common. We do have our doubts about the Spicy Sauvy B, but luckily, the choice is yours!

3 minutes read

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Catalonia, the best gastronomy in the world | Campaign by the Generalitat de Catalunya

7-7-2025

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When you’re travelling to the Spanish region of Catalonia this summer and you’re a foodie – check out all 62 Michelin-starred restaurants in the region. Three of these are ranked among the best in the world. Catalonia aims to reinforce its leadership as a preeminent culinary destination in Europe and globally. Around one hundred Michelin-starred chefs and traditional cuisine chefs are uniting behind the message: ‘Catalonia, the best gastronomy in the world.’

2 minutes read

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