Spooktacular | Are you ready for Halloween?

11-10-2022

Here in the Netherlands, we need to put our coats back on and it’s getting dark early. In short Autumn has really started after a beautiful summer. We have been able to enjoy many drinks on the terrace this year, as can be found in our lists of popular summer drinks and craft liquor drinks from the Netherlands. Now it’s time for autumn, forest walks, hot chocolate, games and Halloween. Even here in the Netherlands, this holiday is being celebrated more and more often. We have a list of spooktacular cocktails, donuts, Chucky beer, food, Halloween cups and events, even a Halloween Bingo!

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‘The Garden of Holland’ builds local healthy food chain

4-10-2022

A healthy kitchen for everyone, that is the dream of the Green Circle ‘De Tuin van Holland’ or translated ‘The Garden of Holland’. On 29 September, 17 leading chain parties ratified their cooperation by signing a covenant. Together, chefs, farmers and doctors are developing guidelines for tasty, healthy cuisine, strongly linked to the land, inspired by the culinary history.

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Which summer drinks are popular on the terrace?

26-7-2022

Don’t you enjoy the outdoors again, being able to meet friends on a terrace? We do and we are curious which drinks are popular this year besides the standard white wine, rosé, white beer, special beer and non-alcoholic beer. The popularity of the Aperol Spritz remains undiminished, but we are seeing more and more versions of the Spritz and the non-alcoholic drinks are especially popular during the day! We have also spotted special glasses for drinks, a trend for 2022 as a colleague called it, but whether you can talk about it as a trend? During my time as a stewardess, I was given a small Buddha statue in which a plastic glass with a cocktail was placed at a Japanese Steakhouse, you could keep the Buddha. These Buddha’s were so popular with friends that I regularly enjoyed a cocktail there. And that was really a long time ago… ^Marjolein

A list of summer drinks that are now popular on the terrace and alternatives:

4 minutes read

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#GoLocal | Artisanal spirits from the Netherlands

14-6-2022

In recent years, we have spotted a lot of new artisanal spirits in the Netherlands. We have written about the Jongens van Oud West (the Boys of Oud West) who produce Orancello, orange-based Limoncello, and about Voerman Vieux, whose vieux is served straight up with ice cubes or used in cocktails. And about Pink Willem, the first Dutch rosé vermouth based on rhubarb, raspberry and matching botanicals and about the canned cocktails by Amsterdam-based brand Kever Jenever. We also wrote about the sustainable limited edition Hemelwater jenever by Hooghoudt: the distillery from Groningen succeeded in producing jenever from rainwater in 2021.

Below a list of more artisanal drinks!

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All the food festival inspiration you need

17-5-2022

The sun is shining and the Netherlands is enjoying the outdoors! There are plenty of festivals where we can go again! We love to visit a food festival, don’t you? We’ve seen some nice small scale festivals like last weekend FestiValk and the ‘Shit hot Fest’ in April, below a list of small, fun and tasty food festivals in the Netherlands and some nice international concepts, maybe inspiration for the Dutch hospitality industry and festival organizers! We found among others the Fête du Champagne et Vins, an oyster festival, a tapas festival, Singelpark dinner and an espresso martini festival..

You can organize a small scale festival within your own company or companies or build a ‘festival’ with fellow hospitality entrepreneurs, what’s stopping you as long as there are no festivals happening in your area? In this article some inspiration!  

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Trends we spotted | Week 13

4-4-2022

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 and amongst others three Instagram posts we spotted, the special branding of Mr. Charlie’s in Los Angeles with their red/yellow colors as well as the upside down smile. And Miss Crispy Rice who recently opened inside the Oasis Wynwood in Miami, serving crispy rice sushi!

Another Instagram post that we really love is one from Paris where restaurant La Bourse et la Vie hired 3 refugees from Ukraine and changed their cuisine and their name in Le Borscht et la Vie as of yesterday for 2 months.

Dubai is the 36th destination which will have its own Guide MICHELIN! The first selection of restaurants will be revealed in June. And McDonald’s USA surprises fans with unexpected Szechuan Sauce drop. Great idea a limited time offer of products from the past, which product would you bring back?

SALSA SHOP is a fast growing brand of fresh Mexican food restaurants, they recently opened the 10th restaurant in the Netherlands and they have big dreams for Europe. And a great initiative of Culinair Leiden in our hometown, a 6.5 km long festive ribbon of tables along the Singelpark route on 25 and 26 June 2022: Singelpark Dinner.

Restaurant commerce platform, GoTab, recently announced that it is partnering with Mastercard to transform the digital checkout experience in hospitality venues across the US with the implementation of Click to Pay.

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New flagship store for The Avocado Show in the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands

1-3-2022

The founders of the beloved restaurant The Avocado Show, Julien Zaal and Ron Simpson will open a new format of their fast-growing chain on Saturday 12 March. Centrally located between The Hague and Leiden, the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands is the ideal place for the first Dutch branch of The Avocado Show outside of Amsterdam.

Designed in collaboration with their permanent creative team at Aces of Space, this new version of The Avocado Show with 80 seats and a surface area of ​​190m2 has the appearance of a colorful patio. The guests sit under natural light and are surrounded by many green-pink color accents; the well-known setting of The Avocado Show. Original dishes are served, in their signature style, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Think of the now world famous poke bowl, stacked pancakes, an avocado smashed burger and even cocktails, where the avocado seeds are used as ice cubes.

Reading time: 2 minutes

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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

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New urban location of restaurant chain Hudson in The Hague South

22-7-2021

Disclaimer: this article is more interesting for Dutchies

Opening – The Hague South is pleased to welcome the largest restaurant of the Hudson family. The tenth branch of this successful dining sensation inspired by American cuisine opens here. Where Barn47 used to be – known as a popular event location – you will now find a restaurant where you can go all day for every restaurant moment. Whether it’s a play date with your girlfriend and your kids, or a drink after work with colleagues.

Already the tenth location of this popular and fast-growing restaurant chain since 2009. Hudson The Hague South is also their largest location! The urban vibe of New York has spread through the Netherlands, they started in the Statenkwartier in The Hague, and have restaurant in Zoetermeer, Leiden, Almere, Voorschoten and Rotterdam! Popular amongst locals and expats.

Reading time: 1 minute

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First edition of the Gin & Rum Festival in the Netherlands

9-3-2020

First edition of the Gin & Rum Festival at seven different locations throughout the Netherlands. Unlimited tasting of more than 100 different gin and rum brands. From the Piña Colada to the now indispensable Gin & Tonic. At the first edition of the Gin & Rum Festival everything revolves around these two distillates. Seven Dutch cities are taking part in the new festival this year and each location will be transformed into a true gin & rum paradise. Upon arrival, gourmets receive a full-fledged tasting glass with which they can taste more than 100 different types of gin and rum unlimited at the stands of well-known and emerging new brands. In addition to these tastings, visitors gain knowledge during substantive workshops, make their own cocktails and dance on fine tunes in the silent disco. Smell, taste and enjoy while being inspired by the stories of passionate distillers and bartenders.

This festival makes it possible to try the tastiest gins and rums with your friends at various unique locations in the Netherlands. Do not miss it!

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