SMAKFEST in Stockholm | One-night-only immersive food festival in an IKEA store

15-12-2025

On December 9, Stockholm experienced IKEA like never before. One thousand IKEA Family members who secured a sold-out ticket, streamed into the darkened Kungens Kurva store to take part in SMAKFEST, a one-night-only immersive food festival/experience. Think celebrating the 40^th birthday of IKEA’s iconic meatball, dining in the dark, a FRAKTA bar, a human kaleidoscope, spoon-fed tastings delivered through a tiny peephole, live music, and much more.

An in-store food festival filled with inspiring and edible design and art ideas.

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Trends we spotted | Week 50

12-12-2025

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:

• At exit 22 of the A28, McDonald’s Zwolle – De Lichtmis A28 has officially opened. The restaurant is located in the same building as the renovated roadside restaurant De Lichtmis in the east of the Netherlands.
• Radisson Hotel Group is expanding its European portfolio with two new properties, focusing on accessible design hotels and quality resorts. Prize by Radisson Osnabrück and the Baltic View Resort & Spa in Międzyzdroje Poland.
• Could conchas become the new hype like croissants?
• New added sugar warnings on menu’s at chain restaurants in New York City. Done with a new icon.
• 7-Eleven is helping the ‘tamago sando’ gain popularity in the U.S. with its new Japanese-style egg salad sandwich.
• Crispy chili oil popular even in our Dutch traditional dish the oliebol.
• Lidl US is adding a playful twist to the holidays with its first-ever holiday meal deal and a quirky fragrance collaboration, resulting in Eau de Croissant.
• Rémy Martin, the renowned French cognac house, is celebrating Lunar New Year with a limited-edition collaboration with Chinese artist Xue Song. Rémy Martin also introduced a Year of the Horse Old Fashioned, offering a festive twist on the classic cocktail. Recipe in the article.

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ibis hotels launches ‘The Go Getters’ series

11-12-2025

ibis, the leading global economy hotel brand, recently announced the launch of ‘The Go Getters’, its first-ever social miniseries. The innovative content series marks a bold move by a global hospitality brand into the fast-growing world of miniseries, ultra-short, vertical video story series that have captivated hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. If you’ve ever tried planning a group trip, ibis’ new social miniseries The Go Getters may feel strikingly familiar. The brand’s first foray into vertical storytelling blends creator energy with real travel mishaps, resulting in a surprisingly bingeable experience.

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Food as a bridge between cultures | Kafé Kontrast launches The Kontrast Experience

11-12-2025

Swedish chef Ellinor Strinnholm, together with restaurateur Bunmi Okolosi, introduces a renewed evening concept at Kafé Kontrast in De Pijp: The Kontrast Experience. Two years after opening, the beloved brunch spot transforms into an intimate bistro featuring a refined Swedish-Indonesian menu.

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Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | MOSH! in Kortrijk, DAPPER in Ghent and a new Subway location in Leiden

9-12-2025

Every day, we spot fun new concepts. This week: MOSH! is opening its second location in Kortrijk, Belgium, in the Safari Studios. Artisanal smash burgers, raw energy and a creative vibe will make this the city’s newest culinary hotspot as of March 2026. Recently, DAPPER., led by chef Nick Dapper and hostess Lisa Deklerck, also opened in Belgium at the Planet Group Arena above KAA Gent’s pitch. And here in our hometown Leiden, a new Subway location will open at Betaplein on December 10.

We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.

3 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 49

8-12-2025

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:

• GolfSuites recently announced a strategic shift, prioritizing its scalable Indoor Simulator Lounge concept for nationwide expansion. An interesting idea for hotels near golf courses?
• ORDER AI, an app for people using GLP-1 medication (which helps regulate appetite and blood sugar) as well as health-conscious consumers, is now available globally on the Apple App Store.
• On Monday, November 24, FHC Formulebeheer held its annual entrepreneurship ‘Big Impact Event’ at Madurodam, the miniature park in The Hague that symbolizes how small initiatives can create big impact.
• The second edition of the Rescue Dogs of London & Friends ‘Christmas Jumper Parade Walk’ took place last November 29 in London. We think it’s Vondelpark (Amsterdam) worthy. 😉
• Until January 16^th 2026 you can walk a Snoopy trail through London’s Fleet Street Quarter, featering 12 unique sculptures of Snoopy.
• Holiday Cocktail Inspiration: The Candy Cane Martini!
• Outernet, a free cultural attraction in London, is fully in Christmas spirit with its Ice Palace experience. Outside, you’ll find Tod’s Festive Feast, a Christmas food market curated by influencer @eatingwithtod.
• Cocktail bar Golden Ratio, created by and part of Redwood Hospitality, opened on November 26 in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. With a focus on sustainability and creativity, the bars serves cocktails and mocktails using restaurant byproducts.
• Snoopy is certainly having a moment this holiday season, it’s his 75th birthday and his popularity is soaring. Krispy Kreme is partnering with Peanuts to launch the Krispy Kreme x Peanuts Collection this festive season.
• During last week’s Black Friday, Pepsi released a limited online edition of Pepsi® Prebiotic Cola ahead of a wider store launch early next year.

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Cobra X Boogie Bougie | A collab fueled by Antwerp’s electric dining rhythm

4-12-2025

Cobra, the Antwerp dining experience known for its eclectic energy, warm edge and late-night vibe, is teaming up with Boogie Bougie for a candle collection featuring two scents inspired by the Cobra atmosphere. With the opening of Cobra House, the second location on Markgravelei, Cobra now stands as one unified brand with a sharper and more expansive identity: vibrant tables, refined bites, and an ambience that pulls people in.

A special collab, we’re curious about the scent, and judging by the description further on in the article, it must be a good deal better than KFC’s ‘gravy-scented’-candles. 😉

2 minutes read

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Conservatorium Hotel x Italian Jewelry House Pasquale Bruni | A sparkling Christmas tree

4-12-2025

We often write about collaborations involving Christmas decorations in hotels, particularly the iconic Christmas trees at Claridge’s and, recently, ‘The Jewel of the Season’ at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. But Amsterdam also has several luxury hotels with remarkable festive decorations,  including the Conservatorium Hotel. This year, the impressive 4.5-metre Christmas tree in the lobby has been decorated by the Italian jewelry house Pasquale Bruni. Following a successful collaboration with Cartier last year, the hotel is once again presenting a dazzling Christmas tree this season. The additional details, such as the festive atmosphere created around the violins at the entrance, are also wonderful to see and experience. We often stop by ourselves to soak up the ambiance, enjoying a cocktail, a glass of wine, or a meal at Barbounia.

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Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | L’ABEILLE Oegstgeest, Gastrovino PYK Deventer and Kafei in Leuven

1-12-2025

Every day fun new concepts open their doors. This week: L’Abeille in Oegstgeest, a warm and modern restaurant where Suzanne van Haaster showcases her love for refined, light dishes, with seasonal products and accessible flavours that guests quickly come to appreciate. In Deventer, Gastrovino PYK is moving to the Houtmarkt and simultaneously launching De Wynkantine: a cozy tasting room where wine, whisky and delicious bites take centre stage. And in Leuven, Kafei is opening a new location, where their iconic Japanese fluffy pancakes, colourful brunch dishes and specialty coffee can now also be enjoyed outside of Brussels.

We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.

3 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 48

28-11-2025

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:

• Qeet provides sustainable catering in the renovated Nederlands Fotomuseum , which opens in February 2026.
• Staff of the IHCP hotels in the Netherlands did collect toys for families in poverty through the Sintvoorieder1.
• Solid Wiggles creates jell-o cocktails with a creative, aesthetic twist.
• The Berkeley London launches luminous artwork ‘Aurora: Light in Motion’ by Rob and Nick Carter.
• Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch – Epic Cleantec launches beer made from purified shower and laundry water in California.
• McDonald’s introduces a temporary Grinch Meal with themed Grinch socks in the US.
• At the end of this year TRIBE The Hague Central will open as the second TRIBE hotel in the Netherlands and it will be the brand’s new flagship.
• The Social Hub invests €227 million in new B Corp hub in Edinburgh.
• The Hoxton opens in Dublin with the introduction of the first nightclub of this chain.

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