Sightseeing on the run
6-3-2014
#Throwback Thursday. We started in August 2007 with horecatrends.com / hospitalitytrends.eu, one of the first trends we did post was about running tours in New York, Washington DC and Chicago, where you could run through the city with a guide along historic and tourist attractions. The guide supports the runnin and gives historical and tourist information. Meanwhile, the organization City Running Tours is located in 13 U.S. cities among them Boston, San Francisco, Denver and San Diego. #isstillagoodidea
BrusselKale a new vegatable
5-3-2014
BrusselKale is a brand new vegetable that’s a cross between two ‘super foods’, Brussels sprouts and kale. BrusselKale has a flavor that’s milder than either Brussels sprouts or kale and contains double the amount of vitamin B6 and vitamin C of Brussels sprouts. ‘BrusselKale’ is a registered trademark of Rock Garden, USA. For an extensive taste report, read the article at The Kitchn. I wonder when we can taste it here in Europe?
VanChefs Special Tour
5-3-2014
At VanChefs it is possible to book a private cook, but next week they organize a special chef’s tour in Amsterdam. The day starts with a morning coffee at Jos Timmer (@ Frankendael, restaurant Merkelbach), then continues at brunch place ‘staring at Jacob’ Noah Tucker Anthony & Joseph, and Joris Bijdendijk (restaurant Bridges *) to turn him inside out with questions. The final element in the tour is a dessert demo by Edwin Sander Food Creativ (Talent of the Year) in the Rockstart Ballroom. The tour is designed for talented chefs and ultimate foodies. It lasts Friday 14 March from 9:30 to 14:00 o’clock.
KitTea cat cafe in San Francisco
5-3-2014
After a cat café in Japan and London it seems that San Francisco is ready for a cat café as well. There the crowdfunding campaign started for ‘KitTea’. Watch the video.
GreenBowl healthy fast food The Hague
4-3-2014
Green Bowl in The Hague is a new “healthy fast food express” concept: an affordable and healthy takeaway with 18 seats. The founders are Soontat Yeung and his wife Liting Leow. Escpecially the ‘create-your-own salad small’ (€ 4.50) is a big hit. Visitors can choose from spinach, mixed lettuce or romaine lettuce and as filling red and white quinoa, puy lentils, potatoes and whole grain spelled pasta are available (hot steamed on request). These are accompanied with unlimited toppings from the salad bar (vegetables, fruit, cheese and nuts) and different gluten, dairy and nut free dressing. Premium toppings like smoked chicken are optional. Next to the salads different Froojiez, healthy fruit juices, are served which are prepared on the spot and wraps are served as well.
Toss Your Boss from the Hyatt Regency SF
4-3-2014
Rappeling from the 23-story Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, this is possible at the 27th and 28th of March! On the 28st various VIP’s will be rappelling and labelled as ‘City Rappel Day’. With this promotion Outward Bound California and the Hyatt Regency will raise money for OTE (Over The Edge). This is an organization in America that offers outdoor learning opportunities for people with low incomes, and teach those people that they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. One can register as an individual, but it’s also possible to ‘Toss Your Boss’ as a company. Make your reservation at cityskylinechallenge.org. Learn more about the Hyatt Regency via their YouTube video.
Haircut at the bar
4-3-2014
Every Tuesday Lotte Maas (35) cuts at café bar Baarsch, Amsterdam. As ‘Amsterdam pop-up hairdresser’ they cut some eight clients a night in the pub. Previously she cut include at Club VLLA, festivals and soon at OT301. Easy for anyone with too little time for a haircut during office hours and weekends. In addition, waiting is a lot more fun with a beer and for the bar owner it’s a win as well because there is extra traffic on a Tuesday night.
Computer system combines ingredients for a recipe
3-3-2014
IBM collaborated with the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) to cook up dishes based on recipes created by the computer, the project is called ‘cognitive cooking’. The IT company IBM has been working for several years to develop a computer that thinks like a human, and recently they came up with a system that compiles recipes. The cook can add an ingredient in the computer system, the system analyzes what might go with a key ingredient identified by the chef and gives a combination that is probably never made before. The food pairing is based on research and scientific theories on the pairings of ingredients. Some examples of unique combinations are Baltic apple pie and an Austrian chocolate burrito. The chefs will serve the special dishes paired by the computer via the IBM Food Truck. Via the website consumers are kept informed about the route of the food truck.
Croquettes during a Corendon flight
3-3-2014
Corendon Dutch Airlines will serve the traditional Dutch snacks croquette and ‘bitterballen’ during their flights. A survey by the airline revealed that the ‘Dutch atmosphere’ is important during a flight. The snack is specially developed in close cooperation with Dutch croquettes makers, because the kitchen and the taste are different in the air than on the ground.
Update: in the meanwhile crispy snacks were developed that can be prepared without a deep fryer. Check out the article here.
Organic lifestyle festival EkoTown
28-2-2014
The first edition of the EkoTown festival will be organized at the ‘Amsterdamse Bos’ on 21 and 22 June. It is the first organic lifestyle festival in the Netherlands. The two day during festival is dedicated to a healthy organic lifestyle. The pop-up village has several plazas where visitors can join different activities such as boot camp classes, yoga, a debate about superfood and the future of our food. Various dishes can be tasted at the Taste Plaza, where also farmers and growers tell their story about the fruit and vegetables. Besides the various plazas there are also performances.
Who serves the most original sweets with coffee?
28-2-2014
In the Netherlands a cup of coffee or tea is traditionally served with a cookie. Research confirms that over approximately 90 percent of the Dutch people underline the importance of our cookie with coffee or tea. It even appears that the evaluation of guests for the cup of coffee or tea depends on the cookie that they get served with it. It’s the key to success! What do you serve with your tea or coffee? Surprise your guests with something original and different than the standard! And especially when you also serve your ‘specialty’ to the children of your guest, you have a chance that they are coming back for more cookies & coffee! In this article an overview of 10 inspiring, amazing special sweets to be served with your cup of coffee or tea. Read more.
Gigantic Pinterest board
27-2-2014
Caribou Coffee launched an interesting marketing campaign in collaboration with agency Colle + McVoy to promote the newest coffee blend. In the shopping mall ‘Mall of America’ in Minnesota a huge Pinterest board was set up with pictures of the coffee process. Passersby could take photos of the gigantic Pinterest board (with attributes) with their smartphone. The passerby could upload the photos with the hashtag #caribouinspires on Twitter and Instagram.
The price strategy of Dagelijks Lekker
27-2-2014
Recently the 4th store of Dagelijks Lekker (Daily Yummy) opened in Leiden. The stores are located at prime locations in Alkmaar, Haarlem and at the Zuidas in Amsterdam. Dagelijks Lekker delivers mainly to employees of stores and offices, but also serves to passersby. The price strategy is remarkable, all the products cost € 1.70. The assortment includes products like soup, smoothies, soft drinks, fresh sandwiches, etc.. This concept is spotted by Wesley Huning.
VISIT THE STREET FOOD MECCA IN HELSINKI
26-2-2014
Written by Julia Soldic.
On March 21, 2014, the kick-off of what seems to become the world’s most prestige Street Food Conference- and Festival, Streat Helsinki, is taking place in the capital of Finland. Street Food has been on the food radar for many years, but it’s not until this year the world is about to experience a true Street Food Mecca surprisingly located in the Nordic capital.
Cinema Culinair at nhow Rotterdam
26-2-2014
Cinema on location is getting more and more populair. Recently we’ve spotted the hot tub cinema’s in Amsterdam, in April the movie ‘Lost in Translation’ is screened at the nhow hotel in Rotterdam. On 18 and 19 April guests can drink a Suntory whisky during the movie just like the main character Bob Harris.
Rotterdam Michelin Star Tour
26-2-2014
Mario Ridder (De Zwethheul**), Erik van Loo (Parkheuvel**), Fred Mustert (Restaurant Fred**) and François Geurds (FG Restaurant**) have joined forces in Rotterdam. The coming months guests can enjoy one course from a complete 4-course dinner in every restaurant. This way visitors can lunch or dine in all four restaurants at once and get an introduction of all chefs. The tour order changes every month. To make a reservation, see www.4×010.nl. The tour is offered from March to June for lunch and dinner on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Fridays only the lunch is available.
Dinner and Movie at restaurant One
25-2-2014
Michelin starred restaurant One in Roermond (the Netherlands) will organize a ‘Dinner and Movie’ night every Tuesday night as of March 11. During these nights a dinner is combined with a food movie at ECI Cultuurfabriek, in the month March it will be the documentary ‘Spinning Plates’ about three American top restaurants. Before the movie the restaurant serves a three- or four-course dinner and afterwards guests can have a drink at the bar.
Owner of New York Pizza gives tips in a book
25-2-2014
New York Pizza is the best-know pizza chain in the Netherlands, owner Philippe Vorst calls himself the best pizza baker of the Netherlands. Authors Maarten Beernink and Rupert Parker Brady have interviewed the New York Pizza owner several times and translated his entrepreneurial lessons into the book ‘The 13 smartest entrepreneurs tips of Holland’s best pizza baker’. Philippe Vorst gives tips about growing and innovation during uncertain times to business owners and marketers. The book is only available in Dutch.
Fragile recovery in beverage sector
25-2-2014
This article is only available in Dutch.
Super Mari, from grocery to bar
24-2-2014
During the day a grocery, in the evening a bar. Super Mari, located in Vienna, is in the early hours of the day an Italian grocery and sells Italian products, ranging from coffee, pasta to canned specialties. In the late afternoon and evening the space transforms into a bar where guests can have an appetizer. Super Mari is designed by Lukas Galehr of architecture MadameMorh. The entire interior is made of white and black tiles. In the evening the panels can be rolled down so the shelves with products are hidden.
Street-food restaurant on a tricycle
24-2-2014
The ‘Ta ?i Ôtô’ is a seven-storey space on a tricycle and drives around the streets of Hanoi in Vietnam. The tricycle serves as a street-food restaurant with a kitchen at the bottom floor and above a bar and an area for guests to sit. The tricycle can also be used for other options such as a stage. The Vietnamese bar is made of old pipes and a PVC roof with a battery-powered fan and lightning. The tricycle is designed by the Swiss architecture firm ‘Bureau A’.
Wi-Fi spot search via augmented reality
24-2-2014
The ‘NAVITIME For Japan Travel app’ helps tourists by finding a free Wi-Fi spot through augmented reality. By using the function ‘Free Wi-Fi Spot Search’ tourists and locals can search offline for the nearest Wi-Fi Location. The feature comes with an augmented reality mode and users can see the nearest Wi-Fi spot with distance and directions on their screen. The app provides information on over 50.000 free Wi-Fi spots.
Meetings with inspiration at Novotel Maastricht
21-2-2014
Novotel Maastricht introduced a new meeting concept. The hotel offered the traditional meeting arrangements, but changed it into a modular manner. There aren’t fixed packages any more, but the guests can compose their own package and everything can be combined. Each room has playful elements. And for more creative inspiration during a meeting, the guests can play table tennis or table football or get a short massage. Novotel Maastricht provides customization for each guest with a personal approach.
Accessibility of restaurants in The Hague
21-2-2014
To measure the hospitality of restaurant in The Hague for people with disabilities ‘Voorall’ has launched a contest. For people with disabilities its often the question if they can enter the restaurant with wheelchair, if the guide dog is welcome and if the dishes fit into their diets. With the contest ‘meNU Ongehinderd’ people with or without disabilities can select a restaurant in The Hague and give their opinion. Information about the accessibility of these restaurants will be added to the app ‘Ongehinderd’, which ‘Voorall’ and The Hague has launched in March.
Opening Marks and Spencer Food hall The Hague
20-2-2014
The first Marks & Spencer Food hall in the Netherlands opens its doors in The Hague today. The Food hall is approximately 750 m2, the warehouse is with 6.000m2 the largest international store of Marks & Spencer. The Food hall focuses on the Dutch market with limited proportion of pre-packed vegetables and meat specialties. Alternating with Dutch and English favorites like fresh bread, cheese and biscuits. There is a wide range of convenience food ‘for now’ and ‘food later’. Previously, Marks & Spencer opened a shop at a BP gas station in September 2013.
![By Janine from Mililani, Hawaii, United States (blueberry pancakes Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://horecatrends.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/pannenkoek-ht-.jpg?x87821)
By Janine from Mililani, Hawaii, United States (blueberry pancakes Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
