iKi Beer launches gastronomical beers with top chef Kelvin Lin
1-9-2021
iKi Beer is expanding their range with a line of beers in collaboration with Dutch top chef Kelvin Lin, known for his restaurant Nayolie. The beers are unique because they work with fresh ingredients and not with extracts. Fresh lemongrass was used for the ‘Lemongrass’ and Zallotti Blossom was added to the ‘Thai Sweet Basil’. CEO Rob Baan of Koppert Cress in Monster, where the Zallotti Blossom is grown, ceremoniously received the first bottle of beer.
Reading time: 2 minutes
WOWorks creates ‘High Five Challenge’ to help end childhood hunger
31-8-2021
Living up to its name, WOWorks’ mission is to fuel the passions of its team members, guests, business partners and the communities they serve to help everyone live their best life. This translates into a commitment to create a “WOW!” place to work, dine, invest and live. To give back to its restaurants’ communities this fall, all four WOWorks’ brands – Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek and Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh – have partnered with No Kid Hungry to kick off a multi-faceted fundraising campaign called the High Five Challenge with a goal of raising $400,000 (with a minimum of $125,000) which can help provide up to four million meals for kids in need*. According to new estimates, 1 in 6 kids in America could face hunger this year, but when guests dine at any WOWorks restaurant this season, they can ‘Join the Team’ in doing their part to help end childhood hunger in our communities.
Showing the guests commitment with ‘High Five Hand’ images and a ‘High Five Wall Icon Tracker’. Guests can also ‘earn’ a high value coupon!
Reading time: 2 minutes
Hyatt teams up with Gopuff to offer everyday essentials on-the-go in their Hyatt Place hotels
31-8-2021
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced a collaboration between the Hyatt Place brand and Gopuff, a go-to platform for consumers’ immediate everyday needs, such as drinks, snacks, over-the-counter medications, home and baby products and more, including alcohol in select markets.
In short: guest can simply scan the QR code placed in their rooms and common areas to order from Gopuff’ categories like travel essentials, spa retreat, movie night, office on-the-go and more. The items ordered online will be delivered within 30 minutes. Inspiring and interesting service!
Reading time: 3 minutes
The Sadistic Wizard Brewery wins final Cannibale Royale Homebrew Competition
30-8-2021
Disclaimer: This article is more for the Dutchies
After a thrilling final, The Sadistic Wizard Brewery’s Milkshake IPA ‘Makeatutara’ has been crowned winner of the Cannibale Royale & Two Chefs Brewing Homebrew Competition in Amsterdam! Five talented amateur brewers competed at Cannibale Royale Du Nord for this ultimate award, but in the end it was The Sadistic Wizard Brewery that took home the gold.
In our article of August 19, we already wrote about this fun collaboration between the restaurant chain Cannibale Royale and the brewery ‘Two Chefs Brewing’. On August 29 the Milkshake IPA by The Sadistic Wizard, was named the winner of the competition. An inspiring collaboration! Check out what they won…
Reading time: 2 minutes
Michelin-starred Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt opens restaurant ‘Ekstedt at The Yard’ in London
30-8-2021
Next month, multi award-winning Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt will open his first restaurant outside of Stockholm, launching Ekstedt at The Yard, part of Great Scotland Yard hotel in Westminster. Set within the historic 5* hotel which was once the site of the Metropolitan police, the hotel’s new flagship restaurant will open on 17th September, bringing Niklas’ signature style of wood fired ‘old Nordic’ cooking to the UK for the very first time.
Nordic cuisine a little closer to home, we’re kind of jealous of those foodies living in London! We love the idea of the chef combining his Nordic cuisine with seasonal British products. The Great Scotland Yard Hotel opened last year with a ‘grand unlocking’.
Reading time: 2 minutes
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando announces partnership with CorsaHQ to offer luxury car rentals
30-8-2021
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes is elevating its luxury guest experience by launching an exclusive partnership with Corsa HQ. Guests of The Ritz-Carlton Orlando can now rent high-end vehicles during their stay, selecting from the Corsa HQ inventory of desirable brands including Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley and more.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Introduction of a autonomous robotic restaurant | By SJW Robotics
27-8-2021
SJW Robotics, a Toronto based FoodTech company, will be launching a fully autonomous robotic restaurant with zero on-site employees. The company will be demonstrating the pre-commercial unit in the fall of 2021, with a commercial rollout scheduled for Q1, 2022. At the heart of SJW Robotics shines RoWok™, a proprietary automated kitchen system that cooks made-to-order meals like an accomplished chef. Armed with high-speed mechanism, RoWok captures the essence of wok-based cooking and uses state-of-the-art sensors and automation protocols to deliver consistent quality in accordance with the highest food safety standards. The design inspiration for the unit comes from industrial food manufacturing systems and an engineering team with proven accomplishments in robotics.
SJW Robotics’ next-generation restaurant will come in the form of a 100 square-foot standalone unit. The techforward kitchen’s small footprint, plug-and-play capabilities and 24-hour accessibility will enable its implementation in a multitude of locations such as airports, hospitals, universities, grocery stores, office towers, shopping malls, stadiums and industrial complexes.
How to top pumpkin spice? Peet’s Coffee introduces ‘Pumpkin Oat Foam Cold Brew’ for fall
26-8-2021
Peet’s Coffee announces its new limited-edition fall menu, featuring a new plant-based ‘Pumpkin Oat Foam Cold Brew’. The fall menu, available August 25th at participating coffee bars, brings back seasonal beverage favourites, Pumpkin Latte and Maple Latte, along with an exclusive Maple Oat Frappé available to Peetnik Rewards members on the Peet’s app and online. Peet’s is also featuring its ‘Vine & Walnut Autumn 2021 Blend’, named in honour of the company’s original coffee bar at the corner of Vine St. and Walnut St. in Berkeley, California.
It’s pumpkin time again! The apple pie in the Netherlands, is as popular as the pumpkin pie in America. Even here in the Netherlands we see more and more ‘pumpkin flavor’ in combination with coffee, which addresses the sweet tooth of young people! The innovation here is that this drink is a cold coffee with a layer of plant-based foam with pumpkin taste. Here the cold brew isn’t very popular yet and certainly not as popular as in America.
Trends we spotted | Week 34
26-8-2021
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 Restaurant Esmé in Chicago, founded by Jenner Tomasko (executive chef at Grand Achatz) who focuses on art and community with even a à la carte menu for ‘walk-ins’. Sounds like Chicago has a new culinary hotspot.
Starbucks opened their 10th ‘farmer support’ centre in Varginha, Brasil with the purpose to offer valuable resources to local coffee communities.
UPSIDE Foods partners with three Michelin star chef Dominique Crenn. Crenn will develop recipes and give culinary advise and if allowed she will use the lab-grown chicken in her restaurant. This is the first collaboration in the cultivated meat industry with a three star Michelin chef.
De Koningshoeven brewery is the first in the world to market a completely alcohol-free Trappist beer: La Trappe Nillis (0.0%). And McDonald’s published their Purpose and Impact Report of 2020-2021 with four impact points: Jobs, Inclusion and Empowerment, the Plant, Food Quality & Sourcing and Community Connection.
Duke’s Mayonaise started collaborating with Champion Brewing Company to produce the perfect beer that fits with a BLT sandwich: Family Recipe (5,1% ABV, 27 IBU). Kind of ‘Mayo Beer’. The new ‘food shopping’-app, Grownby, connects farmers with buyers. Wouldn’t it be great to have such an app as a cook? And getting messages like the strawberries are now ‘ready to eat’!
CandyCan gummy bears are gluten-free, plant-based, low-sugar, low carb and contain vitamins. Is it an idea to lay a bag of Gummy bears on top of a pillow for children visiting your hotel? Or to put a bag in a ‘Happy-Meal’ kind of box?
Oreo opened their first café in New Jersey. The café consists of a shop offering Oreo cookies and other Oreo treats, and fast-service where you can order Oreo treats. And in New York another sweet hybride is gaining popularity: the Croffle. This is a soft, buttery and layered croissant toasted in a waffle iron and sprinkled with different toppings.
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Do you eat every last slice of your bread? | The Dutch No-Waste Week will start soon
24-8-2021
Disclaimer: more interesting for Dutchies. But this might inspire your country.
In one week, we here in the Netherlands can save more than 60 million slices of bread at home by simply not wasting it. Bakeries and supermarkets participate in a campaign of the ‘Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling’ foundation (translated: Together Against Food Waste) to prevent bread wastage among consumers. One of their initiatives is to put the sticker ‘Do you eat every slice?’ on a whopping 3 million loaves of bread. Bread is the product Dutch households waste the most, followed by dairy products, vegetables, fruit, potatoes and meat. All these products play a leading role during the national No-Waste Week from the 7th until the 13th of September.
Every hospitality entrepreneur can confirm they most likely throw away too much in a day, even if you are already consciously working on it. For those entrepreneurs who would like to participate, start to look at your business’ breakfast waste; how many slices of bread, baked rolls, bowls with fruit and toppings are thrown in the trash every day? There is room for improvement, right?
Reading time: 2 minutes
CHAOS KARTS | A combination of Go-Karting and Augmented Reality
24-8-2021
Opened in Shoreditch London, UK’s first live action video game experience that combines real-life racing with augmented reality. This all-new attraction throws players into a virtual world, living inside a real life video game to race-battle their friends, family, rivals, colleagues and more. Engineered by The Ents Inc, CHAOS KARTS combines the worlds of Go-Karting and Augmented Reality. This new and highly innovative experience has players burning rubber around an infinite number of tracks in a digitally projected world, whilst their vehicle interacts with the virtual track, and any challenges other players might ‘launch’ their way.
We spotted CHAOS KARTS back in May and wrote about it in our ‘Trends we spotted week 21’ as a kind of new real life Mario Kart experience, but it even looks more spectacular. If you’re going to London with your family, a ride into the gaming world at this place might be lots of fun with older children! For those living in the Netherlands: we will be able to visit a Mario Karts like attraction in Utrecht as well! It will open in September 2021 in House of Karts and it will be named ‘Crazy Karts’.
Reading time: 2 minutes
A craft beer hotel in Manchester | The DogHouse Hotel by BrewDog
24-8-2021
Independent craft brewer, BrewDog, has recently opened its hop-ly anticipated immersive, craft beer hotel: DogHouse Manchester. Located in the city centre, just five minutes from the Northern Quarter, beer fans can enjoy 18 rooms of bespoke BrewDog touches, such as in-shower beer fridges, draught beer taps and fully-loaded mini-bar, plus an epic taproom with 30 taps of craft beer and a rooftop bar perfect for stargazing.
We love some of the features at the DogHouse hotel, like the free beer for reusing your room towels; the 24-hour hotdogs, orderable via WhatsApp and of course the lobby bartender to check-in each guest with a complimentary beer. Or the canine package for the more than welcome four- legged friends, we wonder if this includes a beer for the dog as well? Or check out the beer shower!
Reading time: 2 minutes
Grubhub and Yandex SDG launch robot delivery technology at The Ohio State University
23-8-2021
Grubhub, one of the leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery platform on college campuses, and Yandex Self-Driving Group (SDG), a leading autonomous vehicles developer inside Yandex, one of Europe’s largest internet companies, will roll out delivery via Yandex’s robots at its first college campus — The Ohio State University (OSU).
We also spotted a likewise system in China, where Alibaba is deploying 1,000 delivery bots across Chinese university campuses and urban communities this year. The bots, called Xiaomanlv or ‘small donkey’ in Mandarin, can deliver about 50 packages at one time and as many as 500 packages in one day, covering 100 kilometres on a single charge. Although the final robot delivery technology in our streets may differ from those some parties are testing, it looks like we will have to get used that these systems will integrate our traffic system. We can’t imagine what it will be like in Amsterdam, it’s already a big challenge to ride a bike here if you’re not used to drive here!
Reading time: 3 minutes
Chipotle tests Plant-Based Chorizo
20-8-2021
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) recently announced its latest menu innovation, Plant-Based Chorizo, is in test in Denver and Indianapolis. Plant-Based Chorizo is the brand’s first new plant-based protein option since the debut of Sofritas® in 2014.
Chipotle developed its chorizo alternative internally, passing companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible, which have several deals with other fast food-chains for meat alternatives on their menus. Let’s see if the plant-based Chorizo will become available in all their restaurants.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Trends we spotted | Week 33
20-8-2021
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 the most spectacular off-menu dish at the rule-breaking Japanese restaurant Shuko in New York and to the ‘Cuisine Solaire’ by restaurant Le Présage in Marseille. It’s Europe’s first solar-powered restaurant.
In London you can enjoy cocktails and high tea’s at a disused train station, check out the great 1940s themed high tea video at Cahoots Underground in the article. Also opened in London: a new immersive cocktail experience, Mr. Tipsy’s Down The Hatch! With a lot of OTT-ness!
French food tech start-up Gourmey is working on lab-grown foie gras that could allow restaurants to continue to serve the highly-prized delicacy in an ethical way. Great news for foie gras lovers, it looks like it and the chef who tried it says it also tasted the same.
The new pizzeria Pazzi in Paris is staffed entirely by robots, from order-taking to prepping the dough to putting the pizzas in boxes. Check out the video, as guests you can follow your pizza being made!
We love the idea behind the ‘random acts of kindness’, as does Domino’s Pizza in the USA, they started their ‘Surprise Frees’ Promotion. Until November 21, 2021, they are surprising randomly selected fans with free menu items.
And a link to an article about the new ‘Taco Bell Defy’. The 3,000 square-foot restaurant concept located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, utilizes a two-story model for “the frictionless future of Taco Bell”.
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
Cannibale Royale & Two Chefs Brewing homebrew competition | Love for beer, craftsmanship and collaboration
19-8-2021
Disclaimer: more interesting for Dutchies or those living in or visiting Amsterdam.
The recipes have been critically examined one last time; every bottle has been carefully checked. And the entire competition stock is perfectly cooled. This is not just any beer tasting. This is the Finals of the Cannibale Royale & Two Chefs Brewing Homebrew Competition! Five talented amateur brewers will compete at Cannibale Royale Du Nord on Sunday August 29 for the ultimate award. If the expert jury decides their beer comes out as the winner, Two Chefs Brewing will brew no less than 2.500 liters of that beer according to their original recipe. And to top it off, the beer will be sold in all five Cannibale Royale locations!
Do you want to be there and be part of the public jury? The finale of Homebrew Competition Extraordinaire will take place at Cannibale Royale Du Nord (NDSM), on Mt. Ondinaweg 21. The event on August 29 will start at 12:00 noon and last until 4:00 pm. Book a table quickly via the reservation system on their website. If you want to stay for dinner afterwards, reserve a table separately for dinner.
Reading time: 2minutes
Little Caesars® unveils their new Crazy Calzony™ | Combining Calzone and Pizza
17-8-2021
The new menu item at Little Caesars combines Calzone and Pizza for a delicious fusion of two classic pizzeria favourites. Crazy Calzony features a pepperoni pizza with a Parmesan and buttery-tasting calzone-like crust filled with garlic white sauce, cheese and julienne pepperoni, served with Crazy Sauce® for dipping. The product is available to order online for delivery or pickup starting August 16th, and available as HOT-N-READY® item starting August 23rd. Crazy Calzony is only available for a limited time.
Inspiration for pizzeria’s worldwide? It does look delicious, don’t you think? We spotted the stuffed crust by Pizza Hut back in January, a kind of calzone crust. They even sold a limited-edition ‘Nothing But Stuffed Crust’.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Late Rooms | Willy Wonka-inspired hotel room at the Chocolate Box Hotel
16-8-2021
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, a holiday booking site has paired up with one of its hotel partners to create a Willy Wonka-inspired stay. Guests can expect the full experience in the novelty room at the chocolate-themed hotel, including lickable wallpaper, unlimited in-room treats including a chocolate fountain and if they wish, a chocolate bath.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Trends we spotted | Week 32
12-8-2021
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 the announcement that a visit to an indoor restaurant, gym or theater in New York will only be allowed for those vaccinated as of August 16. All in a dramatic step to fight rising Covid-19 cases.
Alain Ducasse and Albert Adrià to open an 100-day trial restaurant in Paris and more and more luxury brands are accepting cryptocurrency. The Dolder Grand hotel in Switzerland and BitLux private jets have teamed up for the world’s first crypto-based luxury travel partnership.
Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels have teamed up to create Panera Brand, boasting nearly 4,000 locations and 110,000 employees across 10 countries. All three brands are owned by Luxembourg based JAB Holding Co.
Interesting development: startup Cecilia, the interactive bartender for airports, VIP lounges, stadiums and venues or even hotels. Cecilia mixes 120 cocktails per hour! And an article about 3 robots that can tap beer: Ebar, Revolmatic and Macco Robotics. In the article a video from Ebar.
The Raffles Hotels & Resorts continues global expansion with new openings in 2021 and beyond. With this year their second hotel in Dubai, Raffles The Palm. Check out the other openings in the article.
IKEA in the USA is going to sell candles that smell like Swedish meatballs and another great example of how to use TikTok. The chef of the Italian Embassy in London, Danilo Cortellini spotted pasta chips and decided to upgrade the recipe!
Klimato from Sweden lets restaurants calculate their CO2 emissions per dish, interesting development! And we spotted shampoo bars, a completely plastic-free alternative in bars. A distinctive, sustainable alternative for your amenities!
For fans of the series La Casa de Papel, Netflix and Fever created the immersive experience that is located in the French ‘La Monnaie de Paris’, the institute of the French currency.
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
S.Pellegrino® Destination Dining | A culinary series exchanging iconic dishes between world-famous restaurants
12-8-2021
S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water’s Destination Dining program returns this fall with an expanded series to connect more communities through culinary cultural immersion, one dish at a time. S.Pellegrino has partnered with restaurants across the U.S. and Latin America — in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York, and internationally in Argentina, Brazil, Panama and Peru — to exchange their most iconic dishes, bringing a taste of a new community to food lovers.
It remains a nice idea to swap places for a short period of time, as has been happening for years at the Grand Gelinaz, or to work together in a different way. The nice thing about S. Pellegrino® Destination Dining is that it fits in perfectly within this period, the chefs create each other’s dishes. I imagine that you could taste vegetable dishes from Alain Passard at a restaurant of a chef in the Netherlands. Many foodies must be enthusiastic about that, right? You can also do this locally like the 010/020 dinners, get your local press involved and create a buzz. ^Marjolein
Reading time: 2 minutes
International Limoncello Day | This Italian lemon liqueur gains popularity
11-8-2021
Today, Wednesday 11 August, we celebrate the International Limoncello Day. The popularity of this originally Italian lemon liqueur is on the rise worldwide.
And today and the next few days it’s beautiful weather here in the Netherlands, the moment to enjoy a Limoncello straight or with ice, a Limoncello & Tonic or a Limoncello Spritz on a terrace. Read on for some background information about this drink and about the only Dutch Limoncello Superiore, Fiorito.
Reading time: 1 minute
Wendy’s ensures no one is unlucky this Friday the 13th weekend with a free* Breakfast Croissant
10-8-2021
According to Wendy’s you can walk under as many ladders as you like this Friday the 13th because Wendy’s is making sure luck (and free* breakfast) is on your side. On Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14, Wendy’s is bringing positive vibes to everyone’s morning, offering guests a FREE* Sausage, Egg & Swiss Croissant, or Bacon, Egg & Swiss Croissant – no purchase necessary. Take that, black cats.
You can find a moment in the spotlight on almost every day. Sit down with your team members, find a funny reason to celebrate live with your guests and create a happening. Take care that the local press knows about your campaign, and just test how it works out. This Friday the 13th campaign by Wendy’s is a great example!
Reading time: 1 minute
Preview taste editions of Hertog Jan Grand Prestige Vatgerijpt 2021 beer
9-8-2021
Disclaimer this article is more interesting for Dutchies.
Hertog Jan presents the fifth edition of the specialty beer Grand Prestige Vatgerijpt on September 20. Every year, the crown jewel of the brewer from the south of the Netherlands (Limburg) matures in other, special wooden barrels, which means that the taste of the Hertog Jan Grand Prestige Vatgerijpt is always unique and is only brewed in limited quantities.
They already reveald that Hertog Jan has travelled to a sunny destination for the 2021 edition and that due to the popularity they are now coming up with special preview taste editions.
Reading time: 1 minute
HIM+ puts the Dutch region ‘Achterhoek’ on the map with hospitality concepts with a story
9-8-2021
Disclaimer this article is more interesting for Dutchies.
Dutch hospitality, quality and accessibility from the region Achterhoek for a large audience. That is what the Horeca Inspiratie Maatschappij (HIM+) stands for, the parent organization of various food and hotel concepts in the region Achterhoek. The group gives national monuments from the region a new, connecting function as a meeting place where contemporary enjoyment is the key issue. The group recently expanded with the acquisition of Hotel de Wereld (Hotel The World) and the opening of the brand new boutique hotel Villa Wanrooy. In addition, HIM+ is fully committed to sustainable and circular catering concepts, of which the Green Michelin star obtained in March 2021 at restaurant Lokaal in Villa Ruimzicht is a direct result.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Trends we spotted | Week 31
6-8-2021
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 hotel Paradiso, the new cinema hotel in Paris. Each room is a cinema with screens and 10,000 movie titles. We love to order room service here, dialing 007 of course. And AI software company Acelerate provides next level of service for restaurants and ghost kitchens.
Leap™ is created by Beyond Leather based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their vegan leather would be a great product to create aprons from to use in a sustainable restaurant! MeaTech, a technology company specialized in cultured meat, announced the launch of cultivated pork development.
Our Dutch painter Van Gogh is very popular digitally at the moment, with the ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ show in Anaheim, the ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ in Hollywood and the same immersive in London as well.
Los Angeles brunch dons Eggslut are set to launch a brand new restaurant in Shoreditch this summer and what better way to celebrate than by creating a rather imposing-looking edible breakfast cloud.
In July SMiZE Cream by Tyra Banks launched with nationwide shipping and the grand opening of its first-ever ice cream shop location in Los Angeles. Do you know the meaning of SMiZe? We didn’t!
In Hong Kongthe first CBD spa, Cannable opened . Here they offer an array of CBD-infused treatments to promote comfort and peace of mind. And also in Hong Kong ‘Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel’, check out the images of the Peanut Beef Satay and the sea salt croissant in this article.
Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!
