McDonald’s Brazil made the drive-thru way more convenient. They brought their food to their customers with the use of a drive-thru truck. Their customers didn’t even had to drive to a restaurant, showing that convenience is their main selling point! read more
To celebrate Sidney’s annual Vivid Festival, Australian boutique patisserie Black Star Pastry created a glow in the dark doughnut, or as they like to call them Glonuts. If you are in Sidney you can get them at Martin Place, a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney. They look amazing right? read more
Only for all daredevils amongst us: zip lining of the Eiffel tower whilst reaching a speed of 90 kilometers per hour. The 800 metres long zip line trip takes less than a minute, you’re done before you know. The idea of this pop-up zip line comes from Perrier that sponsors Roland Garros, one of the four Grand Slams in tennis. read more
A special action by Halal Fried Chicken, the company advertises with special posters during the Ramadan. The posters are part of their advertisement campaign and can be found in various bus shelters in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The fun thing about the posters is that only the logo and name of the company are shown during the day. The rest of the advertisement is only visible as the sun sets. A great example of effective advertising during the Ramadan. read more
In 2016 the Poop Café, Toronto’s first toilet themed dessert bar, opened in Korea Town Toronto at Bloor Street West. The potty-themed café, like its counterparts in Asia (for example you will find poop café’s also in Seoul), will server desserts themed around the dirty deed. read more
What happens in your hotel with the bathroom amenities? The best thing that could happen, is that your guest will take them home and when in their bathroom they get regularly reminded of their stay at your hotel. In most hotels, the soaps, shampoo, conditioner are replaced every day. But what do you do with the leftovers? Throwing them away isn’t sustainable at all. read more
Café Ter Marsch in Rotterdam is searching for inspiration for a vegetarian dish on its new menu and seeks the help from food-loving bloggers. During the Blogger Summer Vega Challenge, bloggers can provide a recipe for a summer vegetarian main course. In June, participants can present their dish, featuring a clear recipe and a tasty image on Ter Marsch’s social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram). Café Ter Marsch needs to be tagged in the post of course. read more
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze Huurman
Photo credit - Wytze HuurmanLast year September we wrote about the Instagram hashtag #coffeeinacone. The idea to serve coffee in a cone comes from South Africa. In January 2016 Dayne Levinrad uploaded his first photo with this hashtag. It is now possible to drink a coffee in a cone at pop-up store The Cone Masters located at Vijzelgracht 41 in Amsterdam. Until the 18th of June you can enjoy this coffee in a cone with chocolate. read more
At Horecatrends we spot a lot of national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write articles about, the smaller trends we use in our column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week amongst others the iPizza box by Apple and Grant Achatz created a ‘Hollywood’ menu for his restaurant Next. You must take a look at the latest picture of this menu!
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading! read more
A funny article at Eater about the use of fidget spinners in the kitchen. Apparently it all started with chef Eric Ripert from restaurant Le Bernardin in New York who posted a tweet with a picture of a fidget spinner with the words ‘Confiscated’. Like at many schools it seems like the chefs at his kitchen aren’t allowed to ‘spin’ during work hours. But someone took up the challenge to proof him wrong! Instagram account ‘sleeping_with_the_chef’ placed the video above with the text: ‘Don’t confiscate elevate!’ read more
This month, Michelin restaurant HanTing Cuisine in The Hague launches a new menu that’s all about color: the menu of the five seasons. The five-course menu is a culinary tour through the five seasons. Just as Han Ji’s three previous menus, this menu is also derived from the Chinese Nutritional sciences, Han Ji’s most important information source. You can find this new menu on the restaurant’s menu list from the beginning of June onwards. read more
Unfortunately, not all fish caught in the North Sea end up on our plates. Therefore, three entrepreneurs came up with the idea of opening a new fish restaurant in Amsterdam called ‘Bijvangst’ (Bycatch) Amsterdam. A restaurant where you’ll be surprised by fishes that you might have never heard of, alongside the more famous fish species. You can now invest in the concept at the website CrowdAboutNow. read more
Are you over soy milk? Done with almond? Perfect Day Foods introduces a new alternative: cow milk without cows! This dairy free milk will be available late 2017 and is made with a process similar to craft brewing. Using yeast and age-old fermentation techniques, they make the very same milk proteins that cows make. Milk reinvented: sustainable and delicious. read more
Pathé Cinemas will open a 4D cinema in the Netherlands. Visiting a 4D cinema means you’ll not only watch a movie as a visitor but also experience it. Moving chairs and effects like wind, bubbles and odor result in an unbelievable experience in perfect harmony with the on-screen action. read more
Again another great new food concept in The Hague: Barn47. Barn47 is inspired by food halls in Madrid and Copenhagen and offers a food court where street food, comfort food and refined signature dishes are served. For a fixed price, you can choose from a wide variety of international and authentic dishes. From Mexican tacos to classic French fish dishes to the most beautiful Spanish ham. read more
Especially for King’s Day 2024, GiG is launching their hard seltzer ‘GiG Orange Anthem’ with a refreshing orange flavour for the ultimate King’s Day experience. read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
Restival is a festival build out of the remnants of other festivals. Restival tries to collect as many of the usable product of other festivals such as food and drinks, but also building materials and decorations. After two successful editions in 2012 and 2013 the organizers of Restival are busy with collecting products and material for de third edition at the ‘Flevoparkbad’ in Amsterdam. Despite the enthusiasm of the visitors, volunteers, partners and the press, it did not resolve in enough financial guaranties. For this reason organizer Maarten Aland tries to collect € 20.000 before 1 September through crowd funding. The only thing people have to do is to buy their ticket (€ 15,-) and consumption card before the end of the month via crowdaboutnow.nl. Of course are donations welcome as well.
A float-in movie; instead of watching a movie in a theatre or at home, watch it from a floatable platform or boat. Events like this were organized by different organizations before, but this summer restaurant ‘Het Theehuis’ introduced the initiative in the hospitality industry. ‘Het Theehuis’ is located next to a lake in the touristic Grou, what makes it a unique location to organize a float-in movie. The guests can watch the movie from their own boat, the VIP lounge (a floating platform) and the spacious patio. Snacks and drinks are served during the movie as well.
Until recently it wasn’t possible to make a snack from the oven as crispy and delicious as if it is from the deep fryer. Snack manufacturer Royaan introduced a complete new assortment crispy oven snacks under the Kwekkeboom brand. The assortment will consist of ‘kroketten’, ‘bitterballen’ and chicken- and cheese-snacks, all provided with a unique patented crispy-crust technology.
Besides that the snacks are more healthy out of the oven, there is also an advantage for companies as airlines, gas stations and movie theaters. For these parties, it isn’t always possible to offer crispy snacks because they are not allowed to fry, or because they don’t have frying facilities. Several Dutch companies as Corendon already sell the new snacks, but consumers have to be a bit patient; the Kwekkeboom Oven Snacks will be launched in retail stores later this year.
‘BankjesCollectief’ is the largest outdoor café in the world. Every first Sunday of the month, people open up a bench for friends, family and neighbors. The owners of the benches decide what they serve, but also what the activity they organize. Examples of these activities are reading to toddlers in the library, a sidewalk chalk spectacle and pie eating. The visitors of the benches decide what the experience is worth when it’s finished. ‘BankjesCollectief’ is a great and relaxing way to meet your neighbors. The next edition is on 7 September but it only takes place in the Netherlands for now..
At 15 August the Ibis Rotterdam City Centre opened its doors at the ‘Wijnhaven’ area in Rotterdam. To get guests acquainted with the hotel before opening, blogger Josie of maryjosie.com was invited to live in the hotel for two weeks (one week before opening and one week after opening). In this way, the blogger could share her experiences in and around the hotel, but also give the hotel an insight for an optimal guest experience. The Ibis Rotterdam City Centre organized several activities, starting off with an hotspot tour with 19 co-bloggers. The bloggers all agreed that the location is one of the USP’s of the hotel. The ‘Wijnhaven’, what is both located in the city centre and in the harbor, is an upcoming urban development area. This makes the area very attractive to live, work and stay in.
The Fish and Season festival is a 3-day culinary festival dedicated to sustainable and delicious fish. The festival takes place in the market hall of the Food Centre in Amsterdam that will be transformed into a Valhalla for fish-lovers, with a large kitchen for demonstrations and a foodcourt. Guests of the festival can see demonstrations of several top-chefs, enjoy great dishes and be inspired by the newest innovations in fish-preparing methods.
In 2012, we already wrote an article about ‘Restaurant Day’; the initiative from Helsinki where four times a year amateurs can open their own restaurant. The restaurants can be set up everywhere and are meant to share new food experiences and enjoy common living environments together. The initiative evolved over the years into the biggest worldwide food carnival with over 9600 restaurants at 56 countries.
In the Netherlands a ‘restaurant for one day’ will open as well; in Amsterdam the Spanish restaurant La Cuchara Spanish Food have participated since February 2013. The goal is to bring genuine Spanish food tradition to the city of Amsterdam. La Cuchara joins the ‘Restaurant Day’ Sunday 17 August with a special ‘The Scarlet Shrimp Edition’.
Following Madrid and Barcelona, the initiative ‘Afterwork by Heineken’ is launched in Amsterdam as well. Afterwork by Heineken revive the traditional afterwork-drink by organizing these at the most beautiful places in Amsterdam. Examples of these locations are the Skylounge of the DoubleTree by Hilton, the roof terrace of Floor17 and the Oyster Club. End your working day together with your colleagues in style; with an ice-cold Heineken, luxurious snacks and good music. At the website AmsterdamAfterwork you can check the dates and locations of the coming editions and register yourself on the guest list.
‘Mossel en Gin’ opened in June officially its doors in Amsterdam and is already developing. This is a restaurant where people come to eat clams and drink Gin. Not only are they serving clams in different styles, the small menu includes small fish-dishes and lobster as well. The Gin is served in different brands and in surprising ways. The GinMare served with basil is our favorite. For people who want these Gin and Tonics on location as well; the gentlemen of ‘Mossel en Gin’ developed under the motto ‘Gin Mobile, there were the party is’ their own Gin Mobile.
Across the City of Sydney, several food trucks are operating as part of the Sydney Food Trucks Project. The trucks offer diverse dining options such as kingfish ceviche, veggie burgers and organic gourmet pizzas what can be washed down with non-alcoholic sangria and fresh juices. In 2011, people in Sydney were asked what they wanted to see happening in Sydney during the ‘after hours’. The overwhelming response was to have more food options and from there the Food Truck Project was born. The food trucks are operating at different locations around the city, which can be followed with the Sydney Food Truck app. The project is a one-year trial for now.
The sportswear brand Reebok has started a new campaign featuring the Reebok Bacon Box. The Bacon boxes were send to athletes of the Reebok CrossFit games and handed out from a foodtruck at the games itself. Using the motto “who doesn’t love Bacon?” Reebok engages customers who love bacon with their brand. The campaign responds to the athletes who follow the Paleolithic (“Paleo”) diet, where bacon is one of the most beloved treats. The Reebok Bacon is produced in line with the recommendations of the diet and doesn’t contain nitrates, preservatives, msg and sweeteners. We think this campaign is an interesting example of blurring of branches and we are curious which brand follows this example..
TOP Foodlab developed a new product that adds flavor to your food called Kimchiwawa. It is based on dried kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish. Kimchi has a strong and funky flavor and is made from fermented vegetables and spices. Add Kimchiwawa to a product like vegetable chips or popcorn to give it a typical Korean flavor. When you are not familiar with the taste of kimchi, we really recommend you to taste it. Kimchiwawa can soon be tried at events and bought at several outlets in the Netherlands.
In Amsterdam a new tropical restaurant, Waterkant, was opened. The restaurant is located in the city centre of Amsterdam and is inspired by the city of Paramaribo in Suriname. There are typical Surinamese dishes on the menu, such as Roti and Saoto soup, but also Angus burgers, grilled chicken and lobster. Waterkant is a great place to enjoy the tropical atmosphere with a typical Surinamese Parbo-beer.
‘Cities’ known from the book ‘Farming the City’ has launched a pilot project for electric bicycle transportation this summer. The project Foodlogica connects local food, businesses and consumers. Food Logic uses an hourly rate of € 20, – including driver during the pilot. With 300 kg per transport (including the driver), maximum dimensions of 120 x 94 x 120 cm and a radius of 50 km it can be an interesting alternative for small sustainable entrepreneurs.
Participants pilot
The first participants in the pilot are the Chocolate Makers, Bee Box, ‘Van Boer tot Bord’, Willem & Drees and Juice & Salad Cafe.
With the TV program ‘Smaakpupillen’(translated as ‘Taste Pupils‘) television channel 24 Kitchen wants to motivate children to cook at least once a week. In the program kids between six and twelve years will cook for their families. The meals are specially created for them and the purchases are part of the program as well. Presenter Hugo Kennis: “Today, they often don’t know how a certain product on the market looks like and where it comes from. I take them to the market, where they receive detailed information about the products. ”
The program is aired on 24 Kitchen daily at 16.30 from 1 September onwards.
The movie CHEF tell the story about chef cook Carl Casper who resigns at a top restaurant in Los Angeles for a culinary road trip in Miami. To promote the film, that premiers in the Dutch cinemas on 4 September, a CHEF food truck travels through the Netherlands. This truck is co-developed by the creators of the book “Reizende Sterren” a cookbook with the signature dishes of different food trucks. The Cuban sandwiches that the truck serves are based on the sandwich recipe from the film.
#Cheftruck
The foodtruck serves its culinary specialties at the Car Art Festival in Delft (9-10 Aug), Haarlem Jazz & More in Haarlem (13-16 Aug), Magneet Festival in Amsterdam (22-24 Aug), Rrrollend Leiden (Aug 29-30 ), Smaak Karavaan in Tilburg (31 Aug), Vlietdagen Leidschendam-Voorburg (13-14 Sep), and can be tracked online via #ChefTruck #ReizendeSterren.
For those who still have their holiday ahead and are going to either Singapore, Bangkok, New York, Rome, Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai or Istanbul TripAdvisor has produced a list with the ten most visited roof tops. I have visited 2 of the mentioned rooftops and can assure you that you will enjoy the view while swimming (Marina Bay Sands rooftop) or sipping a cocktail while enjoying the view of Bangkok (Lebua at the State Tower rooftop). It’s a unique experience! For those owning hotels, it might be interesting to be mentioned in these kind of lists, so check your special features and let the world know! Check the other locations at TripAdvisor. ^Marjolein
In April 2010, the Icelandic cook Fridgeir Eiriksson served dinner prepared over the foothills of the lava of the ‘famous’ volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. Perhaps you recall the eruption which caused a lot of trouble in air traffic. The chef complete the adventure by flying the guests to the ‘restaurant’ location in a helicopter. In June the creative duo Bompas & Parr, from London barbecued steaks on artificially manufactured lava in collaboration with Professor Robert Wysock (Syracuse University, NY). The movie takes some time but the effect of BBQ’ing above 2.100 degrees Fahrenheit is clearly visible. However, I think I would sign up for the adventure! ^Marjolein
This article describes the developments of the Asian restaurant sector in The Netherlands. Unfortionately this article is only available in Dutch. Please contact + 31 71 541 88 67 if you have any questions.
The pop-up waste restaurant Instock is open for a month now and gets positive reviews. The founders, who met at Albert Heijn, put food waste literally on the menu. The cooks in the pop-up restaurant prepare left-overs of the supermarket chain that would otherwise be thrown away. The ingredients depend on the daily harvest and is pciked up at the stores with an electric minibus. Instock is open every weekend for a three-course dinner on Friday and Saturday (17:00 to 23:00) and Sunday brunch (from 10:30 to 17:00).
(Un)avoidable food waste
All the food served is still meets the required quality standards. “You can differentiate between unavoidable and avoidable food waste. Wasting food that is actually no longer consumable is inevitable, but we avoid food waste while it is still suitable for consumption.”
The last 3 days Café George at the Plein in The Hague had an original pre-opening. Guests could go on a ‘blind date’ with George. Like in the other George bistro’s in Amsterdam and Laren, we tasted delicious French bistro dishes like Steak Tartare and Lobster Linguini as well as popular desserts like lemon pie, cheesecake and île flottante. We wish the team from George a lot of success at the Plein in The Hague.
This summer, while the outdoor festivals are sprouting everywere, the Bacchus Wine Festival is definately worth mentioning. At this festival there is room for 250 different types of wines! For this stunning variety of wines the organization works close together with ten well known wine importers from Amsterdam and its surroundings. The festival takes place at the ‘Amsterdamse Bos’ from 5 to 7 September.
The comfort standard at the festival is higher than most outdoor events. With real wine glasses, flushing toilets and several rolling kitchens it should be fine with the luxe experience.
Exclusively designed to give their guests unique and unprecedented access to historical, cultural and local lifestyle experiences, The Peninsula Tokyo Academy offers a collection of bespoke programmes for both adults and children. Kids staying at the hotel as from 1 October, will get the chance to live out an episode of Pokémon with characters like Pikachu, Lucario and friends in an interactive game designed exclusively for the hotel. Kids as from five years old are invited to hunt down Pokémon characters, armed with a Poké Ball. A game that is a bit like hide and seek. Great way to entertain the kids of your guests and an inspiration for hotels in Belgium to introduce a meeting with Tintin! Or for the hotels in The Netherlands with Miffy.
The last couple of weeks, I noticed that the car park where I always park wasn’t as packed as usual. In Arnhem, they have a nice solution for car parks during the summer. They created a ‘Roof Garden’. A public place or a all-in-one location, where you can hang-out, drink something, eat a ‘roof’-meal, enjoy the garden and follow a bee workshop. You can even play ping pong, practice ‘roof’yoga, see a ‘roof’-movie and exercise at the underground gym. Furthermore, it is a showroom for creatives and cultural initiatives, such as a silent disco. The design is sustainable, it uses solar energy and for example the furniture is created from wooden pallets by volunteers.
Update: 3 August was the final day, luckily we still got the pictures.
In September the first dump supermarket ‘Gekke Gerrit’ will open in Amsterdam. The supermarket sells remnants that brand supermarkets are not allowed to sell anymore and offers left over seasonal products outside the season, such as ice cream in the winter. The dump supermarket sells these products for the lowest prices. The store will be a pilot, but owner Gerrit Hoksberg hopes to open more dump supermarkets.
Bezoek horecatrends op
