Trends we spotted | Week 46

20-11-2023

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 among others:

• McDonald’s X Crocs – a collaboration resulting in very special crocs.
• ‘Ravioles du Dauphine’, the recently opened Café Chelsea, which belongs to Hotel Chelsea in NYC, decided to put this classic dish on its menu.
• The Disney Treasure is Disney’s sixth themed cruise ship, with touches of well-known classics like ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Star Wars’ on board.
• It’s the season of perfume commercials! Absolut and Kahlúa launched an espresso martini perfume in collaboration with Imaginary Authors, and Nestle Toll House decided to launch ‘freshly baked biscuits’-skincare products with skincare brand Beekman 1802.
• The first location of restaurant Kernel is opening in New York next year. They will use robots to serve meat-free dishes.
• Fletcher Hotels in the Netherlands adjusted its policy on action vouchers in consultation with the Dutch Consumers’ Association.
• A new flavour combination from Heinz – Pickle Ketchup. Available in early 2024.
• The Connaught hotel in Mayfair has unveiled its legendary Christmas tree, decorated this year by the British artist and sculptor Rachel Whiteread.

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Trends we spotted | Week 43

30-10-2023

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’s links to articles including the presentation of the We’re Smart awards, there are 16 Dutch restaurants on this list of the best vegetable restaurants in the world. ‘De Nieuwe Winkel’ in Nijmegen is number 1 again.

Pink and yellow oyster mushrooms are included in the range of products of the exotic mushroom grower Oakfield as well as bundle-, white beech-, wig- and coral mushrooms.

The Casual Pint Craft Beerstro launched Tap4Good. A national fundraising initiative to support local communities. The local manager decides the charity!

In London, ‘The OWO Residences by Raffles’ recently opened and Starbucks opened its China Coffee Innovation Park (CIP), achieving its vertical integration ‘from bean to cup’ in one market – a first for the company globally.

Bakkit.nl creates ‘the Rotterdam Roll’ – a rolled croissant in various flavours. They also sell other pastries. Speaking of croissants, Dominique Ansel, the inventor of the cronut, presented a vegan cronut for the first time in September.

Pizza Hut in Germany recently introduced ‘Pizza-Sandwich’ Melts and a special McDonald’s restaurant in Terminal 1 of Sydney Airport!

A capital injection for Zence Object in Macau: for a project to convert used tea leaves and other local bio-waste streams into packaging and other industrial items.

And an interesting design article on Eater about the neon walls, palm-shaped chairs and giant pepper mills of Shuggie’s Trash Pie, they call it maxed-out restaurant design for 2023.

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Trends we spotted | Week 38

25-9-2023

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 links this week to articles including an initiative by DoubleTree by Hilton in Amsterdam that allows people to give away 100 litres of water per hotel stay. They have also used advanced Orbisk technology, powered by AI, to reduce thousands of kilos of food waste.

For the first time, there is now also a list of ‘The World’s 50 Best Hotels’ and Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel is launching a ‘Gouden Brood’ beer, a sustainable beer concept made from leftover bread from their kitchens.

Bijou Patisserie in Dubai is serving ‘Le Goûter Vault’: high tea from a jewellery vault. And in Venlo, the Daily Trade Fair Venlo has opened, over 15,000 square metres of exhibition floor with showrooms and a culinary stage!

McDonald’s Japan has added ‘Shrimp Nuggets’ to its menu, we think that many people in the Netherlands would like this menu item as well! At the Horecava, you can check out the pop-up of BUNKR, the first AI-controlled restaurant in the Netherlands.

New owner for tea and spice shop ‘De Droom van Utrecht’. It’s the fourth business of Dineke and Marc van Bommel now. They operate two Betjeman & Barton shops selling tea (accessories), crockery and delicacies in The Hague and one in Amsterdam.

And on Instagram, we came across a cool way to serve burrata – a burrata bar!

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McDonald’s is the first restaurant chain to Incorporate UBQ™ Materials

14-9-2023

Expanding from serving trays, Arcos Dorados, world’s largest independent McDonald’s franchisee, is now using UBQ™ Materials in bench seating and electrical system components, showcasing new applications in sustainability in their new São Paulo Restaurant.

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Trends we spotted | Week 31

7-8-2023

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 among others a collaboration fit for a king by Sorted Food and The Earthshot Prize. And Vignerons du Terroir, the champaign tasting, will be held in the beautiful ConcertLab in the Dutch city Utrecht on October 1.

KFC Canada bids final farewell to its bland old fries with a fry funeral and funeral procession and McDonald’s in the USA has announced a new spinoff restaurant called ‘CosMc’s’.

Mel’s in NYC is officially kicking off their F.O.M.O (Friends Of Mel’s Oven) Pizza Series with limited-edition pizzas created by chefs Daniel Boulud, Gabriel Kreuther, Jean-Georges, and Junghyun Park. Although we have seen more of these kinds of collabs, we love them!

A colleague spotted the Dorian Speakeasy in The Hague on Instagram (see the post by Food Queen) and it’s high on her ‘go-to list’. More details in the link in this article. And South Korean brand LOTTE Hotels & Resorts opened the first overseas hotel in Vietnam.

Chick-fil-A has just announced the construction of the first 75-car drive-thru in Atlanta. According to the company’s Twitter, the concept features a four-lane drive-thru that’s split into two sets.

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Trends we spotted | Week 26

30-6-2023

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 among others an interesting read on the Generative AI Innovation Center by Amazon Web Services and in the city Groningen we will get a Vegataria, the first vegetarian pop-up by the Dutch Kwalitaria chain.

Lamborghini & real estate company Dar Global will build a luxury estate at the Costa del Sol with  individual villas inspired by the iconic super sports car designs. And from June until the end of September, Gucci takes over Loulou Ramatuelle on the Pampelonne shore. Great design!

Global artist Camilo joins ‘Ritmo y Color’ by McDonald’s, they are inviting fans in the USA to vote for concert destinations. And Taco Bell® celebrates the return of the Volcano menu and the brand’s first-ever pre-recorded advice Hot Line at 1-844-THTS-HOT with Paris Hilton.

The largest table in the world makes it return in France, you can enjoy lunch at a 2,5 km long table. And in London you can visit The Brig, an underground bar is so small, it only has room for four people.

Inspired by the Greek gods, Belaire created Belaire ZEUS, the world’s largest bottle of bubbly rosé. This 45-liter bottle is the equivalent to 60 standard bottles. And Aperol Spritz is creating an Italian ‘LA Spritz Piazza’ in the north of Paris on July 7 and 8. We have great squares for a similar piazza here in the Netherlands as well!  

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Trends we spotted | Week 16

24-4-2023

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 among others Brian Mackenzie, who as head concierge of NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace has been awarded the prestigious title: Second Vice President of Les Clefs d’Or.

Chefs from JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs will be cooking on Swan Hellenic ships, culinary delights on beautiful sea voyages!  For chocolate lovers, we spotted a ‘Bar à Mousse au Chocolat’ in Paris.

Barilla’s ‘Open Carbonara’ brings inclusivity to the table by reinventing a classic dish and making it suitable for Halal, vegan and Kosher. And in London, Energize Games opened, a new addition to the thriving activity bar scene.

The theme of the Prêt-à-Portea Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley for spring/summer 2023 is known: From Catwalk to Cakewalk. And the first permanent OREO café outside the US has opened at Doha International Airport.

Berlin-based GaeaStar aims to solve the problem of single-use plastic using an age-old Indian solution, cups and bowls made of clay. And Hyatt Hotels Corporation recently announced the official opening of the new boutique hotel The Pell, part of the JdV by Hyatt brand.

McDonald’s USA has been cooking up small but tasty improvements to the Big Mac® sandwich and other hamburgers. They’ve caught the attention of McDonald’s resident mischief-maker, the Hamburglar.

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Trends we spotted | Week 15

18-4-2023

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’s links to articles about among others Tesla’s GigaBier and a culinary experience, ‘Backstage at De Librije (***)’..

High-end burger bar THE BUTCHER recently announced the introduction of extra special limited edition burgers and a McDonald’s outlet in Batumi, Georgia has a special exterior completely made of glass, link to photos.

For fans of Fanta: they have created a new perfume called ‘Scent of Fanta’ and a special place for a Starbucks shop in the middle of a botanical greenhouse in Japan.

In Helsinki, the VAloHalli opened which is a showroom and entertaiment centre by Valo Motion, where, among other things, you can play 6-player digital games in the ValoArena. With video! And in New York and Chicago, a pop-up Malibu Barbie Café opens in May. An idea by Bucket Listers.

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Trends we spotted | Week 14

11-4-2023

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, among other things, the lightest champagne bottle in the world from Telmont Champagne, made from glass with 35 grams less weight than the standard bottle. And event location SugarCity Events has a new name: SugarFactory, located in Halfweg near Amsterdam.

A ‘Bucket List Program’ for the employees of the Dutch hotel management company IHCP to attract and keep more staff. And Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam West is looking for a hospitality partner.

McDonald’s will introduce new products this summer in the Netherlands, including the Milk Shake Tropical, McFlurry Maltesers, (Veggie) McWrap Greek and Pop Dots. And in London, the Prada Caffé has opened, an ultra-stylish ‘caffé’ in Harrods. A pop-up until early 2024.

The ‘Do good’ initiative of the ‘The Present Movement’ received an investment from the Start Foundation for scaling up their homeless program ‘ROOM FOR CHANGE’. This program helps economically homeless people who are temporarily accommodated in hotels.

The Michelin stars have been published in Germany. Chef Jan Hartwig was immediately awarded 3 Michelin stars in his new restaurant JAN. And spotted in America: the first ‘Rule the Drive-Thru’ game show from Checkers® & Rally’s®.

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Trends we spotted | Week 7

21-2-2023

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 week 7 2023’.

With this week links to articles about amongst others a dipping-friendly bacon milkshake at Domino’s Japan and Burger King Thailand comes with a ‘Chocolate King Hamburger menu’ in a collab with Hershey’s.

Amazon is expanding its payment method with the palm of your hand, introduced by Amazon One at Whole Foods Markets. And a Kickstarter project by Big Eddy Glass Works, The Colour Bomb Cup. Great water glasses for restaurants.

McDonald’s Germany introduces McPlant® Nuggets developed by Beyond Meat® and KFC Canada introduced the first winterized basketball court.

The Palais Garnier, home to the Phantom of the Opera and one of the world’s most famous opera houses, is now available for a one-night stay on Airbnb. And MGallery Hotel Collection delivers style and substance with ‘Stories That Stay’.

The Finnish food technology startup The Nordic Umami Company has developed sustainable umami flavors from plant-based circular ingredients. Available in bouillons, sauces, and salts.

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