Vegan Fried Chick*n launched in the UK
11-1-2021
We love the recently launched VFC brand’ slogan: “Thanks colonel, we’ll take it from here”. VFC stands for Vegan Fried Chick*n, and is launched by Matthew Glover – one of Veganuary’s founders. He and chef restaurateur Adam Lyons created bites and fillets made of wheat flour. The Vegan Fried Chick*n is made from wheat protein, and is soya- and nut-free. It looks, tastes and pulls apart like chicken but is 100% plant-based. It is made for carnivores and suitable for vegans.
Trends we spotted | Week 51
21-12-2020
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’.
This week, links to articles about Serrano ‘sinjamón’, recently introduced in Spain by Rollito Vegano and recently opened in Israel: The Chicken by SuperMeat, the world’s first restaurant with cultured chicken grown directly from chicken cells.
Scotland is the first country to make menstrual products free for all. That made the Scottish brewer BrewDog so proud that they brewed a Bloody Good Beer for the occasion! And Pepsi had its #PepsiApplePieChallenge on TikTok and Twitter, for this challenge people had to upload video’s or photos of trying to and failing to bake an apple pie.
A vending machine with culinary meals by Alexander Herrmann (**) in Wirsberg, Germany! Beyond Meat has introduced Beyond Pork at the Chinese market and an article about inspiring restaurant food service models post Covid!
And recently opened in Munich, a FC Bayern boutique hotel and 2 restaurants!
The Secret Chef | An insight in the immeasurable changes in the world of fine dining
17-12-2020
One of the biggest names in gastronomy is lifting the lid to reveal the truth about the restaurant in response to the immeasurable changes in the restaurant world. A new monthly column at the website of Fine Dining Lovers that gives those enjoying restaurants as guests and those working in restaurants a reflection on the industry with searingly honest and wickedly sharp writing. The Secret Chef monthly column launched with ‘The Curse of the Celebrity Chef’ on industry insider website Fine Dining Lovers. The column offers compelling commentary on how the digital age sowed ‘seeds of destruction’ in the restaurant industry, and transformed it into a ‘carnival of narcissism’ before ‘2020 brought the extinction event we needed’.
I am of the generation that travelled through Europe with the red Michelin restaurant bible in our vicinity. So I have seen a lot of changes, like for example the influence of social media, all restaurant lists, celebrity chefs etc. Somehow it ended with having to make reservations months in advance and the feeling that you should be happy as a guest to have been able to visit that restaurant. On the other hand I often thought that the culinary world became a kind of rat race, we have seen the results of this race with chefs choosing to step out of this race.
The family-favorite Triple Treat Box® from Pizza Hut here for the Holiday Season
10-12-2020
With the holiday season in full swing, Pizza Hut is crossing cooking off the to-do list by delivering the ultimate gift: the Triple Treat Box. With three courses in one festive wrapped box, this is by far the easiest holiday decision you will make all season. Arriving just in time for the holidays, each Triple Treat Box features a three-in-one meal, packed with two medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks and 10 Cinnabon® Mini Rolls.
Available in the U.S. for a limited time only. We love the idea of a family-style box especially with the Christmas decorations! Why not introduce it for like always and with changing decorations?
Trends we spotted | Week 49
8-12-2020
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 an AI-powered wine wall with facial recognition security and Pringles Passport attempts to satisfy a nostalgia for traveling.
Last October people could dine on board the world’s largest passenger aircraft, an A380 at Changi Airport. Would that satisfy your nostalgia for traveling a bit? And KFC introduced autonomous rolling chicken-dispensing pods in China, completely contactless.
At Pizza Hut you could enjoy a plant-based sausage, Beyond Italian Sausage, in the U.S. and Pancheros Mexican Grill introduced their ’12 Days Pancheros’ Holiday promotions. Inspiration for restaurants with take-out or delivery!
We spotted the MyPanera Coffee subscription a couple of months ago and now an European brand, Espresso House also launched a flat rate for coffee. Inspiration for other coffee corners? Especially if you have many people working at your location.
Dutch Television channel KRO-NCRV and restaurant chain Resto VanHarte are organizing a grand Online Christmas Dinner together. Inspiration for your country?
Sustainability: IKEA announced their plan to make 50% of their food menu plant-based by 2025 and we have spotted a new sustainable design for the seating at Schiphol Airport, called Blink. Interesting read for other venues.
Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2020 | This year’s theme: Art Deco
7-12-2020
Claridge’s, London’s legendary Mayfair hotel has unveiled its much anticipated Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2020 in the hotel lobby. This year the landmark hotel has drawn on its rich and glamorous Art Deco design heritage evoking the Roaring 20’s, a time when people were looking for a symbol of hope and happiness post World War One. As London looks for a beacon of light amidst the trials and tribulations of this year, the message seems very fitting as we once again hope for better times to come.
The Claridge’s Christmas Tree has long symbolized the start of the festive season in the capital, drawing visitors and Londoners alike to admire its magnificent design. This is the 11th year that Claridge’s has invited a longstanding partner and friend to reinterpret the tree in their own distinctive style. We wrote about a couple of them because we love the inspiration they offer, on the level of decorating but also in choosing to cooperate with the designers. Check out the trees by regular guests and designers Christian Louboutin, Diane von Fürstenberg and even Karl Lagerfeld.
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The Berkeley unveils ‘Winter at The Garden’
1-12-2020
On Thursday 3rd December, as The Berkeley reopens its doors to all, the hotel will reveal a new festive addition: Winter at The Garden. Following the summer sell out success of The Garden and now reimagined for the winter months, this culinary terrace spot will consist of five cosy wooden cabins, each seating up to six diners. These cabins, glittering with flickering candles, will be decked with wreaths courtesy of McQueens, and surrounded by a forest of fir trees and fairy lights. Guests will be armed with blankets and heaters to keep warm. A menu of alpine specialties, built around a showstopping raclette grill, will delight eager guests after weeks of eating at home.
The UK is getting out of their lockdown tomorrow December 2 just after midnight, at that moment the country will go back to a three tier system. Only if you’re located in a tier 3 region, the restaurants and pubs aren’t allowed to open. London for example is located in a tier 2 region (most regions are tier 2), the rules here are: ‘Pubs and bars can only open if they serve substantial meals. Alcohol can be served with that meal. Pubs and restaurants must shut at 23:00 GMT, with last orders at 22:00 GMT.’ We wish that this was the case here in the Netherlands as well!
Trends we spotted | Week 47
24-11-2020
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 among others articles about, Eataly in London and Bee Approved, a 100% vegan, gluten-free & organic alternative to honey.
In the food delivery section we spotted Pickup Pods by Minnow, contact-free food delivery and pickup solutions developed in the US and in New York, Eat Plantega. This company offers vegan foods in fridges in bodegas.
A company in Belgium created the FagronLab™ UVGI-80 Air-Sterilizer. It does a full cleanse of contaminated environments, via the elimination of virus and bacteria spread in the air through aerosols. And trust in how you clean the surroundings is very important according to this online survey: ‘Dining Habits 2020’ by Lightspeed.
KFC has unveiled its Next Generation Prototype restaurant that puts digital and contactless experiences front and center and we spotted the cutest ‘Charcuterie Chalets’ on Instagram. Might be inspiration for your Christmas dinner!
Trends we spotted | Week 46
17-11-2020
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’.
This week with links to articles about, among other things, cute desserts at patisserie/café ‘Bibble & Sip’ in New York, the McPlant is coming and Impossible Foods is testing plant-based milk.
Inspiration concerning room service for hotels, including high-end snacks from a secret menu at the Kimpton LA Peer hotel and a cocktail bar that will be placed in front of your hotel room at The Portofino Hotel & Marina.
Original decorations for your Christmas tree: Smirnoffs Nr. 21 Christmas ornaments filled with vodka and Guinness comes with two limited-edition stout beers for the holidays.
An interesting article about Uber, showing that the turnover of Uber Eats has increased by 190%, but that does not make up for the loss on the taxi rides. And the Manchester based food delivery platform “Get Vegan Grub” aims to be an ethical and vegan alternative to Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. They will also start in London in February 2021.
The Russian franchise chain Dodo Pizza recently opened its first branch in Germany.
Green Boy Group launched Plant-Meat Protein™ | A plant-based protein powder for meat substitutes
17-11-2020
Green Boy Group announced today that it has launched Plant-Meat Protein™; a functional plant-based protein powder that is NON-GMO and developed as ‘meat’ grade. Plant-Meat Protein™ enhances mouthfeel, boost nutritional properties and enlarges the textured aspects in plant-based meat products.
The Berkeley Breakfast in Bed delivery service in the neighbourhood
17-11-2020
From November 16, The Berkeley will be taking to the streets delivering joyful bundles of breakfast by bike. Two different breakfasts are available during lockdown and beyond, and will be whizzed to neighbourhood doors via The Berkeley’s bikes to bring a little comfort to the local SW1X area.
From which hotel in your vicinity would you like to order a ‘breakfast in bed’?
DOT Groningen presents the largest Christmas bauble in the world despite COVID-19
16-11-2020
The largest Christmas bauble in the world will rise again this year in Groningen. On Sunday December 6th, starting at 5:00 PM, no less than 6,000 LED lights will be lit at DOT Groningen. The initiators worked for weeks to get the lights and a completely new “Christmas bauble hook” ready on time and to attach them to their dome. The dome, with a diameter of 26 meters and a height of 19 meters, is the largest Christmas bauble in the world.
In addition to good food and drinks, DOT is a multifunctional company, where hospitality and variety in the programming for young and old are central. And the initiators also came up with a Drive-Thru-experience for this year and together with three other authentic restaurants they created the #ChristmasBaubleBox: The culinary December gift for companies and for families at home.
Restaurant chain Flat Iron launches its limited edition Butchers Box and online shop
13-11-2020
This November, self-taught butcher and Founder of Flat Iron, Charlie Carroll, is pleased to announce the launch of Flat Iron’s limited-edition Butcher’s Box and online shop, bringing the best quality beef to doorsteps across the UK with one click.
Holsom By Yogurtland | New fast casual concept by Yogurtland
12-11-2020
Yogurtland, the nation’s leading frozen yogurt brand, opens its doors to their new fast casual concept Holsom By Yogurtland in Huntington Beach, California next Saturday, November 14th. Holsom By Yogurtland focuses on bringing an innovative menu of delicious flavours, high quality ingredients, and better-for-you meal options at an appealing price.
Like at Yogurtland, guest can choose to create their own grain bowls and gourmet toasts, a build-your-own platform and customize unique creations at this new fast casual concept. We wish everybody at Holsom By Yogurtland lots of fun and success!
Trends we spotted | Week 45
10-11-2020
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’.
Vegan is getting more and more important! We spotted articles about Willicroft’s ‘This is Not Cheese’ products, vegan Mini BabyBel cheese, vegan Boursin soft cheese and a new sustainability label for fish alternatives called ‘friend of the Sea’.
With all the restaurants, pubs etc. closing in the UK, Burger King tweeted that people could help the industry by treating themself to tasty meals even from McDonald’s. And we spotted one of the first list of predictions for 2021, ten food trends according to Whole Foods.
Recently opened at The Connaught Hotel with its own entrance: The Connaught Patisserie. Take-away or delivery of an afternoon tea! And a great way to introduce your new hotel in Auckland, New Zealand by QT Hotels & Resorts. Their treasure hunt created a big buzz!
Claridge’s Christmas magic delivered to your home | Comfort and Glamour
10-11-2020
We have always loved to write about the Christmas season in London, check out for example the really extremely beautiful Christmas Tree decorations at the Claridge’s in London, created by Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin and Diane von Furstenberg. The much anticipated arrival of Christmas at Claridge’s has long symbolised the start of the festive season in the capital and this year, the yuletide magic of the iconic London landmark is more poignant than ever. Claridge’s online shop is packed full of the hotels’ most loved festive treats. If you can’t enjoy Claridge’s Christmas magic in their hotel, they deliver parts of it to your home.
With the current lockdown for restaurants, cafés and pubs till at least halfway December here in the Netherlands it’s going to be hard to enjoy the magic of this season. Your guest can order take-away or delivery but how do you add that Christmas magic? Claridge’s online shop is an example but we have also heard about ideas like a Christmas Drive Thru and we can image that for streets with a lot of restaurants, it might be a way to make Christmas sparkle… Families collecting their orders while driving thru a Christmas fairy tale! If that doesn’t add some magic?
CityHub just opened its first international location in Copenhagen
3-11-2020
CityHub, the award-winning champion of smart city travel, opened its first international location on the 8th October 2020 in the diverse Vesterbro neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. CityHub Copenhagen marks the beginning of CityHub’s European rollout, following recent global financing from Dutch banks NIBC and ABN Amro.
“CityHub Copenhagen is our largest location yet, and the first milestone towards international development. A city known for its pioneering design and hospitality excellence, Copenhagen is a perfect fit for the brand,” asserts CityHub Co-founder Pieter van Tilburg.
Michelin star drive thru | Taste the art of 4 Michelin starred chefs in one meal
3-11-2020
A detour which everyone loves to make. The Michelin star drive thru at the stadium of soccer club Excelsior, in Rotterdam, executed by four Michelin starred chefs. A take-away meal has never been as delicious as this.
After a collaboration in the past, the culinary stars of Rotterdam are gathering again to collaborate. Lovers of high-quality food can enjoy meals at home from restaurant Parkheuvel, restaurant Fred, restaurant Joelia and restaurant Perceel, with in total 6 Michelin stars combined. We would go for the dishes: ‘Bouillabaise | Tomato | Vadouvan’ of restaurant Perceel, the ‘Ravioli of the Bresse Chicken’ of restaurant Parkheuvel and the ‘Pannactta | Pineapple | Star anise’ of restaurant Fred. You only have to order the food and collect it by driving through the drive thru. Taste the art of 4 Michelin starred chefs in one meal!
Trends we spotted | Week 44
2-11-2020
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 the hotel arrangement by Hotels.com offering a place to literally ‘hide under a rock’ during the 2020 presidential election. Although we hope that everybody allowed to vote will support their candidate!
The Former chief design officer at Apple will design ‘the next generation of Airbnb products’ and a link to an article about The ‘Don’t Call Me Chicken’ pizza by California Pizza Kitchen.
In New York the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop will open, it will be the first ZHI restaurant and they will be offering a special crossover. Also serving a crossover is Papa John’s: Double Cheeseburger Pizza!
Sensory Inc., an artificial intelligence provider in Silicon Valley, is debuting the alpha release of its artificial intelligence enabled virtual assistant. No more touchscreens at kiosks! And as flying taxis inch closer to reality, companies are scrambling to develop infrastructure.
‘Gordon Ramsey Burger’ will soon be available at Harrods, it’s the second location of his gourmet burger restaurant, the first one is in Las Vegas. And Japanese robots serve soft ice cream!
Pulitzer X Dr. Hauschka | Pop-up beauty boutique in Pulitzer Amsterdam
29-10-2020
The 100% natural cosmetics brand Dr. Hauschka and five-star Pulitzer Amsterdam have joined forces to open a pop-up beauty boutique in a room of the hotel. For the first time in the hotel’s 50-year history, everyone is now welcome for a soothing facial or body treatment.
This pop-up beauty boutique will be open in Pulitzer Amsterdam from November 4 until at least the end of February 2021. Another great example of collaboration!
KFC’s 11 Herbs & Spices Firelogs | KFC ignites their fans Holiday Season
27-10-2020
After selling out two years in a row, KFC’s 11 Herbs & Spices Firelogs are back exclusively in select Walmart stores and on Walmart.com. Forget chestnuts roasting over an open fire, because KFC’s famous fried chicken-scented 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog is back for its third consecutive holiday season. Created once again in partnership with Enviro-Log®, the famous fried chicken-scented firelog is available while supplies last exclusively in the U.S. at select Walmart stores and on Walmart.com.
We recently wrote about a Christmas scented hand sanitizer that recently hit the market in the U.S., we wonder when a European restaurant or fast service chain will follow with a scented product! It looks like it’s very popular in the U.S. and KFC will even be available at the Canadian market as well. The big question is whether you want your home to smell like fried chicken?
On Air Beauty Co. launched unique Christmas scented hand sanitizers
27-10-2020
On Air Beauty Co. kicked the hand washing game up a notch by launching Christmas scented hand sanitizers on ‘Global Hand Washing Day’ that took place on the 15th of October. Washing your hands is one of the most important things people can do to protect their health, but a Global Hand Washing Day? Well if COVID-19 learned us anything, it’s the importance of just that! On the other hand and compared to ‘World Happiness Day’ or ‘National Unicorn Day’, ‘Global Hand Washing Day’ seems a bit boring. That’s all changed this year, because the Pumpkin Spice and Hallmark Christmas Movie Revolutions just elevated the global holiday.
Although we Dutchies weren’t aware of a Global Hand Washing Day, we most certainly realize the importance of it and if a product like Christmas scented hand sanitizers make more people clean their hands, we love to be able to buy it here as well!
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Nxt Museum | The first new media art museum in the Netherlands
16-10-2020
Opened on August 29, Nxt Museum in Amsterdam. Visitors can immerse themselves in the futuristic world of the first museum dedicated to New Media Art in the Netherlands. Their inaugural exhibition is ‘Shifting Proximities’. The museum is located in the up-and-coming North of Amsterdam and it presents eight large-scale, multi-sensory art installations, four of which have been commissioned by and are premiering at Nxt Museum. Each of the multi-disciplinary installations has been created in collaboration with local and international artists, designers, technologists, scientists and musicians, fusing creative ideas with pioneering academic research and technological innovation.
For those who love new art installations the Nxt Museum is a new ‘must visit’ museum in Amsterdam. So the moment you can safely travel to Amsterdam after Covid this museum must be on your bucket list! We have really enjoyed our visit to the Van Gogh exhibition in the museum L’Atelier des Lumières in Paris, an art installation that gave an insight in a couple of paintings with technology. The first exhibition in Nxt Museum looks much more futuristic though! In the first couple of weeks they welcomed some 4.500 people to enjoy the installations.
Cabin | Hotel on wheels between Los Angeles and San Francisco
8-10-2020
Cabin, a USA based company, provides travellers with a new way of travelling between San Francisco and Los Angeles. This concept was first executed in 2016 under the name SleepBus as a pilot, where tickets were sold-out in three days and the waiting list contained more than 20,000 people who liked the idea of being transported in a bus with sleeping pods. The same concept continued under the name of Cabin, providing services between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
One of our colleagues came across these services and really liked the idea of travelling by night while having a pod to sleep in. Currently the staff of Cabin is closely monitoring the Covid-19 situations but still continues to provide their services. At their new initiative you can order a Cabin or ‘Hotel on wheels’ for private events as well. Wouldn’t it be great to travel while sleeping between big cities in Europe? Kind of a rolling hotel!
The TABASCO X Seoul Bird Collaboration | Limited edition dishes
29-9-2020
Recently opened Seoul Bird, West London’s Korean fried chicken specialists, are pleased to announce their exclusive eight-week collaboration with TABASCO® Brand from the 1st October, called The TABASCO X Seoul Bird Collaboration. Korean-American founder, Judy Joo, has created three limited edition dishes that will join the menu, for a short time only, featuring her ‘Chilli Chicken & Wicked Waffles’, ‘Burnin’ Bird Burger’ and ‘Tater Tots with TABASCO® Sriracha Sauce’.
A great example of working together during the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative in London shows a supplier supporting a restaurant but it might as well be a local supermarket creating a collaboration with a local restaurant. Especially during the rapidly changing (stricter) measurements by the government a collaboration with either suppliers or supermarkets might be the reason a restaurant can survive.
Dormio Wijnhotel Valkenburg
Dormio Wijnhotel Valkenburg
Dormio Wijnhotel Valkenburg
 in Groningen gives students 50% discount)
