GINAMIS | A new 0% spirit from Amsterdam
9-12-2021
GINAMIS wants to further challenge the norm in drinking in the category ‘non-alcoholic with good taste’. With this new alcohol-free spirit from Dutch soil, a cocktail can be enjoyed every moment of the day, even at breakfast. GINAMIS was officially launched on the Dutch market this week. It is a non-alcoholic spirit inspired by gin and developed, distilled and bottled in Amsterdam. The brand was conceived by brand new entrepreneurs and friends (amis) Jaap van de Weg and Cheng Yeung, who believe that taste and experience are the keys to success in the non-alcoholic segment. Both have extensive experience in the beverage industry.
The taste profile of GINAMIS is strongly determined by a unique and unusual ingredient; dandelion leaf! The dandelion (in French “dents de lion”), was the inspiration for the birth of Dan the Lion, the mischievous mixologist character of the brand. At The Dutch Non-Alcoholic Spirit Awards in October 2021, GINAMIS received a medal in the “White Spirits” category as the best Dutch non-alcoholic spirit based on taste, design and concept. Great for a non-alcoholic alternative for the upcoming Holiday Season, you can make cocktails with it for breakfast, lunch or just for fun…. With 2 mocktail recipes!
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Liemès Food District Utrecht
9-12-2021
LIEMÈS Food District is the place to be for business appointments, while shopping or for a snack on the go. In this centrally located food hall in shopping center The Wall in Utrecht, different chefs cook their dishes from around the world and bartenders shake their top cocktails. Liemès is a food district like you’ve never seen before.
Foodhall meets restaurant, streetfood meets à la carte: at Liemès you take a seat at one of the set tables and order from the food stands and the bar using a QR. The hospitable staff then serves your order(s) at your table. They don’t use disposables at Liemès, everything is served on tableware. This enhances the eating experience and is more sustainable.
In August 2020 we wrote about the Liemès Food District, it was supposed to open that autumn. We wish the entrepreneurs the best of luck and let’s hope there will not be more COVID-19 measures!
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Caféco | A consolidation of franchise formulas in the Netherlands
7-12-2021
Coffee franchise Doppio Espresso (25 venues), chocolate franchise Chocolate Company (19 venues) and coffee franchise Barista Café (23 venues) join forces, the consolidation of the franchise formulas will be called: Caféco.
Reading time: 1 minute
Trends we spotted | Week 48
7-12-2021
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…. Bacardi who has announced Astrophel “Troy” Arquiza as the new Global Master Blender for BACARDÍ® rum (the “Maestro de Ron”). And high-quality cocktails from Williams Premium such as the Margarita, Daiquiri, Espresso Martini and Old fashioned are now available in cans.
Butcher and steakhouse owner John Stirk, thought the price of the golden Tomahawk steak at Salt Bae’s new restaurant (in London) was way too high. Stirk Italian Steakhouse now has a much more affordable golden ‘Stirk-Bae’ on his menu…
Wagyu beef is known all over the world as a very exclusive piece of meat. But in Japan you simply ‘pull’ the steak from a vending machine these days! New on the market is the food safety device from Asus, which lets you know whether you have washed your fruit and vegetables sufficiently.
Foodspotting.com preceded the introduction of the app known as Foodspotting. The site allowed its users to take pictures of food that they loved. It was bought by OpenTable in 2013 and doesn’t exist anymore. ChefsTemp on about what happened to this app!
Designer water: this year’s limited-edition glass bottle of Evian water has been covered in Snowflakes by designer Not Vital. A collaboration with Moncler. Another great campaign for the Holiday Season in the UK, this time for the Bounty Bar: ‘The Lonely Bounty’.
Online cooking tutorials called ‘The Secrets of French Cuisine’ at the website of ‘Fine Dining Lovers’. We included the tutorial of the ultimate croque monsieur! And the same website gives you all the details behind the 100 days pop-up in Paris: restaurant ADMO!
Chiqueolatte opened its 8th location in The Hague and The Hoxton hotel group will open four new hotels in Europe in 2022. Tony’s Chocolonely announced that it will not build its own chocolate factory in the near future.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Improving soil with seaweed extract | Swinkels Family Brewers
30-11-2021
After an initial successful test on their own barley field, Swinkels Family Brewers is starting a pilot in which they use seaweed extract as a biological growth stimulant for their barley. At three locations, a total of six hectares of barley is treated with the bio stimulant, which should ensure that the yield of the barley harvest increases, reduces water consumption and the soil absorbs and stores more CO2. The pilot is being carried out in collaboration with the Holland Malt malt house, The Seaweed Company and two farmers who are members of the Boer Bier Water initiative.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Trends we spotted | Week 47
26-11-2021
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’.
With this week links to articles about amongst others McDonald’s Germany that is testing reusables in 10 restaurants and the platform Foodsteps that helps food businesses monitor their carbon emissions.
‘The most beautiful butcher shop in the world, Victor Churchill’ opened a new butcher shop in Melbourne, check out the great images in this article. And Pizza Hut USA unveils their new, limited edition holiday Hut Shop.
The Savoy in London has unveiled the world’s first champagne forest, great decoration inspiration! And On Giving Tuesday (November 30), KFC will donate $1 for each KFC Chicken Sandwich sold to to Blessings in a Backpack.
‘Illegal Chips’ come in flavors like horse meat, Casu Marzu and poison blowfish. And a link to all the winners of McDonald’s anti-littering contest in Finland, with great ideas!
Get your pet in a festive mood at 29 Hilton locations in the UK and Ireland with a three course dog menu. Our office dog would love this menu!
The Celestial Snow Globe | The Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2021
26-11-2021
London, November 24th 2021 – Claridge’s, London’s legendary Mayfair hotel has unveiled Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2021 in the hotel lobby, created by Kim Jones, Artistic Director of the Dior men’s collections.
Every year we write about the Claridge’s Christmas Tree, because we simply love the idea! Creating buzz and free publicity together! We loved the decorations by McQueens Flowers, Christian Louboutin and Karl Lagerfeld for example. Last week the Pulitzer hotel announced that their Christmas Tree will be decorated by Claes Iversen, and this tree will be ready in the beginning of December. As said: this idea can be used at every level: have your lobby decorated for the Holiday Season by a local artist and create a buzz and free publicity with a great tree lighting party! cal artists in designing the annual Christmas tree.
Reading time: 2 minutes
World’s first Warner Bros Hotel opens its door
25-11-2021
The WB™ Abu Dhabi on Yas Island, Curio Collection by Hilton invites visitors on a journey through the World of Warner Bros.’ most iconic films & television series. Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading curator of magnetic experiences, in collaboration with Warner Bros., home to one of the most well-known and successful collections of brands and characters in the world, announced The first Warner Bros Hotel, located in Abu Dhabi, Curio Collection by Hilton. The first-ever WB themed hotel, has officially opened its doors to guests, November 18. The hotel allows guests to see their favourite stories and characters brought to life through unique hospitality experiences that only the rich history and stories legacy of Warner Bros could offer.
Reading time: 4 minutes
24 Karat Gold Turkey | Thanksgiving at Empire Steak House
24-11-2021
Empire Steak House in New York will surprise their guests this holiday season with a unique dish, the 24 Karat Gold Turkey! A traditional dish with a fancy twist.
We’ve seen the gold wrap marketing stunt on a regularly basis, the food is always astronomical priced, but they’re also always picked up locally and internationally for some free publicity. Especially if there is also charity associated with it. Quite recently we saw the ‘Golden Boy‘ of ‘De Daltons’ in Voorthuizen in the Netherlands, who raised 5.000 euros. This amount has been donated to the local Food Bank. We also wrote about a marketing stunt by Bubbledogs in London who gave away 100 golden hot dogs as a Christmas present, and whoever got one also got a small bottle of champagne. Last summer Chipotle packed their burritos in gold foil every time the USA won a golden medal at the summer Olympic Games.
Reading time: 1 minute
FRENCH IT! | Sofitel introduces series of films to express its ‘Live The French Way’
24-11-2021
As the first international luxury hotel brand to originate from France, Sofitel Hotels & Resorts is a renowned global ambassador of modern French Art de Vivre and style. Revealing an edgier and more playful expression of the brand’s Live The French Way ethos, Sofitel is launching FRENCH IT!, a global digital campaign of six stylish short films that spotlight the brand’s passion for arts and culture by bringing the whimsy of the French language to life.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Christmas inspiration 2021 | Examples of other restaurants, fast food chains and hotels
23-11-2021
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 colleague hospitality entrepreneurs all over the world are doing. If you search our website for ‘Christmas’, you will get pages full with examples like glitter gravy, the Christmas afternoon in Hengelo to storytelling by the Rocco Forte hotel chain under the name of #RFWinterTale.
Our last real Christmas publication was ‘Christmas Gestures’ back in 2013, containing examples of ‘golden cutlery’ or ‘golden Japanese sticks’, ‘golden fortune cookies’ but also pizza slices and pizza boxes in the Christmas tree. For our 2021 publication we went to find inspiration for decorating a Christmas tree for in restaurants, fast food chains, bars or hotels at FAAS Est in Leiden. A great shop that sells all kinds of food ornaments. Check out their photos on the front page of this years publication. In ‘Christmas inspiration 2021’ we particularly mention inspiration to celebrate Christmas outdoor, a safe way to have fun with your guests this Holiday Season.
Reading time: Scrolling 4 minutes
Trends we spotted | Week 46
22-11-2021
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 the Icelandverse, a great example of an ad for tourism and Redefine Meat. This Israeli start-up expands operations into Europe, they are going to 3D-print beef substitute in the Netherlands.
This Holiday Season you can play curling at the garden of the Langham hotel in London and the Alexandra pub in Wimbledon is hosting ‘don’t be on your own day’ as a lovely gesture to combat loneliness on Christmas Day.
In Hamburg you can enjoy raclette, glühwein and other Swiss winter season food in old ski gondolas at the 25Hours Hotel. And an initiative to tackle the shortage of hospitality staff from Amsterdam: The ‘Leidseplein’ class.
Korean Childhood snacks are an overnight hit because of Squid Game especially among Korean-American restaurant owners! And also in New York: the Antony Bourdain hawker centre is set to open in the beginning of 2022.
Arby’s in the US sells meat with curly and crinkle fries and now they announced the upcoming launch of its limited edition Curly Fry and Crinkle Fry Vodka. And check out the sky at Bercy Village in Paris, we love what they did!
The We’re Smart Future Awards 2021
22-11-2021
Celebrating their culinary contributions for nutritious, planet-friendly – and delicious – innovations, the winners of the We’re Smart Future Awards 2021 have been revealed at the Horeca Expo in Ghent on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
Winners of the Future Awards 2021 are Rob Baan, The Green Bean, VOL5, HomeForest, Plant-T, Eleven Madison Park, Gambero Rosso and Michelin Green Star.
Reading time: 2 minutes
New store concept in New York by Starbucks Pickup and Amazon Go
22-11-2021
The new store integrates the digital and physical retail experience, bringing together the connection and comfort of a Starbucks café and convenience of ‘Amazon Go’s Just Walk Out’-shopping experience. The new store concept by Starbucks Pickup and Amazon Go in New York City at 59th between Park & Lexington, opened on November 18 2021.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Pulitzer Amsterdam X Claes Iversen | Design Christmas tree
19-11-2021
This December Pulitzer Amsterdam – the hotel located in 25 connected canal houses – collaborated with the famous Danish fashion designer Claes Iversen to decorate one of the largest Christmas trees of Amsterdam. The designs of Claes Iversen are worn by Queen Máxima, the crown princess Mary of Denmark and Dutch celebrities Lieke van Lexmond and Chantal Janzen. The Pulitzer Amsterdam X Claes Iversen.
Reading time: 2 minutes
La Trappe and BrewDog launch a craft beer ‘Practice What You Preach’
16-11-2021
La Trappe, in collaboration with the Scottish brewery BrewDog, has developed a limited edition craft beer: ‘Practice What You Preach’. By means of this limited edition they support the Made Blue Foundation. This foundation provides clean drinking water for everyone in the world. The earnings from ‘Practice What You Preach’ benefit Made Blue. For every glass of ‘Practice What You Preach’, La Trappe and BrewDog will jointly donate 1000 glasses of clean drinking water to developing countries.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Top of the Dutch creatives designed Capital Kitchen
15-11-2021
Opening – The newest addition to Amsterdam is Capital Kitchen. A bar restaurant located in Capital C, the monumental building on Weesperplein where the Diamond Exchange was once located. Capital C literally stands for creativity with a capital C. Capital C is a hub and community for the capital’s creative sector. A work and meeting place for creatives with flexible workplaces, office and meeting rooms and special event spaces. And now also with a unique and innovative bar-restaurant concept. The design of Capital Kitchen has been created together with the top of the Dutch creative industry.
Reading time: 2 minutes
The Teleportel Telework D.I.Y. Reception eliminates infections
15-11-2021
During one of the worst surges in coronavirus infections, companies are facing a need to implement remote measures such as teleworking. Teleportel, a company located in Belgium, has come with a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Reception. Teleportel (since 2001) is global market leader in Live Video Receptions over Distance.
Reading time: 1 minute
1 million funded for scaling up sustainable restaurant chain
15-11-2021
Sustainable restaurant chain Jack Bean has raised 1 million euros growth funding. With this money, the start-up from Rotterdam will expand to Amsterdam and the sustainable restaurant chain will prepare for further national upscaling.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort | The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism
12-11-2021
Last Friday, November 5th, Ewald Biemans, owner/CEO of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba, signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism together with secretary-general of the UNWTO & WTCC Pololikashvili. He also gave a presentation on November 9th at the 26th annual UN climate conference – the Conference of the Parties or COP26. He was invited to speak because Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is a CO2-neutral hotel since 2018 which eventually led to an award from the United Nations in 2020: the prestigious Global UN 2020 Climate Action Award for Climate Neutral Now.
Last month we also wrote an article about “the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, the only CO2-neutral hotel in the Caribbean shares framework for debt-free and sustainable holidays at the summit in Glasgow’’. In this article a link to the speech of Ewald Biemans and his view on where to start with sustainability as an hospitality entity. Check out The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism for more information and opportunities to become a signatory.
Reading time: 3 minutes
The Lights of Christmas presents | A drive-thru Christmas
12-11-2021
There is something special about The Lights of Christmas! More than dazzling lights, The Lights of Christmas brings both nostalgia and innovation together for a Christmas experience to lift the spirit and uncover the hope of the holidays. This year The Lights of Christmas presents… A Drive-Thru Christmas, Located in Stanwood, Washington State. This drive-thru event lavishly celebrates the meaning of Christmas through new and classic displays alike.
This is just one of the many Christmas drive-thru’s we have spotted in the last couple of years. As long as we are facing another winter with COVID-19 amongst us, it’s a great way to bring the joy of the Holiday Season to people when they are collecting ordered presents or food boxes. As most streets in shopping areas are decorated this December anyway, why not create a ‘Christmas Wonderland’ and have your clients pick up their orders in a fun and save way! Organise it together with other entrepreneurs, like these restaurants last year. The drive-thru Christmas by The Lights of Christmas is great inspiration.
Reading time: 1 minute
The Mariah Menu at McDonald’s USA
11-11-2021
The twelve days of Christmas – what will McDonald’s US sent to their customers? Each day from Dec.13 through Dec.24, U.S. customers can get a different menu item for free from the Mariah Menu on the McDonald’s app with a $1 minimum purchase.
Another example of marketing with a celebrity, in this case Mariah Carey who takes the Holidays up an octave with 12 Days of McDonald’s® deals. Inspiration for more local deals with celebrities? We only sorry that she doesn’t sing in their commercial! And of course that the Mariah Meal isn’t available in Europe.
Reading time: 2 minutes
A Finger Lickin’ Chicken Mitten Bucket Hugger by KFC
11-11-2021
To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, Kentucky Fried Chicken® is unveiling winter’s hottest dining accessory – a limited-edition and original Finger Lickin’ Chicken Mitten Bucket Hugger, to turn your bucket of KFC’s world-famous fried chicken into the ultimate holiday must-have, according to their press release.
A combination of a new Holiday Bucket and a sweater for this bucket to keep the bucket and the hands of their fans warm! No longer available in the US but we loved the idea, a combination of a ‘ugly Christmas sweater’ with a big plus for fans of your brand. It’s great inspiration for upgrading the ugly Christmas sweaters from the past, a ‘sweater + mitten’ for warm drinks or buckets of food.
Reading time: 1 minute
‘Lecker Chess Tournament’ in Utrecht
9-11-2021
Yesterday the ‘Lecker Schaken Schaaktoernooi’ (Lecker Chess Tournament) started in Utrecht (The Netherlands). The ‘Lecker Chess Tournament’ lasts four weeks and has been organized by the ‘De Leckere Brewery’ in collaboration with local cafes and restaurants.
Great idea to organize at a local level, we also happen to know people who started playing chess again after seeing the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. And great that after a lot of online quizzes we can finally play a board game with each other again! By organizing it on the first days of the week, the De Leckere brewery creates an extra source of income for the catering industry. Inspiration for other cities? Or some bars?
Reading time: 1 minute
NL Delivery Game | Meal deliverers safer and more aware on the road
9-11-2021
Since the corona pandemic, the number of meal deliveries in the Netherlands has increased excessively. According to the Food Service Institute Netherlands (FSIN), this market grew by 37% compared to 2019. This development is leading to an increasing number of meal delivery in the industry, especially the 16 to 24 year old age group. According to Veilig Verkeer Nederland (the Safe Traffic Association Netherlands (VVN), this age group takes more risks in traffic, which means that they are more likely to be involved in accidents. To prevent this, the Dutch Association of Meal Delivery Services (NLVVM) has created the NL Delivery Game. The initiators – consisting of ten large delivery chains – join forces and launched this training game for the more than 20,000 meal deliverers they employ. In the game, the traffic and behavioral rules of the Safe Traffic Association Netherlands are tested. Resulting in more meal deliverers safer on the road and more aware in traffic.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Horecava 2023
Horecava 2023
Horecava 2023
Horecava 2023
