Trends we spotted | Week 17
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’. This edition highlights some fun hospitality initiatives for Kingsday — perfect to visit, enjoy, or use as inspiration for next year! We’ve also included some international examples of creative campaigns and product launches.
- Royal Desserts at live-fire restaurant Nela in Amsterdam.
- Café De Blaffende Vis in Amsterdam will unveil its iconic 2025 King’s Day façade at the stroke of midnight during King’s Night.
- Café De Gaper in Leiden will transform into Snackcafé De Gaper on King’s Day, serving a snack menu fit for royalty.
- Stëlz Hard Seltzer released a limited edition ‘can belt’ especially for King’s Night and King’s Day — it sold out quickly!
- Want to toast with an orange drink? Jägermeister ORANGE has just hit the market.
- In the U.S., BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse teamed up with Mars to launch a new twist on their signature dessert: the SNICKERS® Pizookie.
- Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard introduces a bold take on a classic: Cola Italian Ice.
- Pretzelmaker® in the US is giving away free Pretzel Bites tomorrow (April 26th) in celebration of National Pretzel Day.
- Outback Steakhouse in Australia turns up the heat with their Hot Wing Roo-lette – a spicy challenge for the daring!
Enjoy reading!
Café ‘De Blaffende Vis’ in Amsterdam unveils Kingsday 2025 facade at midnight on King’s Night
Kingsday 2025: celebrations all over in the Netherlands! This year, we’re celebrating the birthday of our king on Saturday, April 26—even though his official birthday is on Sunday, April 27. We’ve gathered a few fun initiatives to mark the occasion, starting with a charming tradition from Café De Blaffende Vis (translated The Barking Fish) in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighborhood. Every year, they unveil a special decorated facade in honour of King’s Day. This year is no exception: the big reveal will take place exactly at midnight during King’s Night. Curious? Get a ‘sneak peek’ on their Instagram!
Royal Desserts at live-fire restaurant Nela in Amsterdam
This Kingsday weekend, Nela – located in the Valley South Tower on Beethovenstraat in Amsterdam – is serving festive royal desserts! The restaurant was founded in 2022 by chefs Hari Shetty and Ori Geller and is renowned for its refined live-fire cooking. Nela will soon open a pop-up location in Ibiza, followed by a new location in London.
Kingsday 2025 | Café de Gaper becomes Snackcafé de Gaper
While many top restaurants take a break during Kingsday and the first week of May, some choose to celebrate with creative initiatives—like Café de Gaper in Leiden. This year, they’re celebrating Kingsday 2025 with the theme ‘dine like a king’.
For the occasion, they’re rebranding themselves as Snackcafé de Gaper and are serving royal snacks such as Iberico bitterballen, a frikandel extra special topped with caviar, fries with rendang confit de canard, and even a cheese croquette with kimchi. A great idea! Check out their King’s Day menu below.
We previously wrote about the opening of Café de Gaper in Leiden—read that article here. You’ll find the link to their website in the title.
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Stëlz Hard Seltzer is ‘Kingsday Ready’ | Their special ‘can belt’ is sold out
We covered the launch of Hard Seltzer brand Stëlz in the Netherlands back in 2020, and since then, we’ve seen plenty of fun campaigns from them. In 2024, Heineken acquired a minority stake in the brand. For King’s Night and King’s Day this year, they released a special limited-edition ‘can belt’ – and it sold out in no time.
Jägermeister ORANGE | Orange shots for King’s Night
As of late Jägermeister is not only bringing high-energy moments to the dancefloors in the Netherlands and Germany, but they’re also bringing the sun into the night.
The new fruity shot combines the 56 herbs, flowers, roots and fruits with a high-quality orange oil extract and offers a completely new and fruity flavour experience. The oranges and mandarins used come from organic cultivation and are harvested in selected regions of Sicily after a full 1,400 hours of sunshine. At 33% vol., Jägermeister ORANGE has a slightly lower alcohol content than the original and it impresses with a sweet, fruity flavour and a subtle bitter note.
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse partners with Mars to launch the new SNICKERS® Pizookie®
Since April 17, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse has been serving the new SNICKERS® Pizookie®: a freshly baked brown-sugar cookie filled with pieces of SNICKERS®, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate coating, caramel sauce and more SNICKERS®. This delicious collaboration with Mars takes BJ’s iconic dessert to a new level. Perfect for sharing or treating yourself. We also referred to their latest savoury Pizookie last week.
Hot Wing Roo-lette | By Outback Steakhouse
Inspiration for restaurants serving hot food! How hot can your guest handle?
Outback Steakhouse in Australia is launching Hot Wing Roo-lette: a plate of five chicken wings, with only one packing a fiery “KangaROO kick.” Guests spin a wheel to determine which wing they’ll get. A playful twist on classic comfort food—spicy, surprising, and full of Aussie flavor. More details in their press release, link in the title.
Cola Italian Ice at Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
Inspiration from the US: Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, is shaking up its flavor lineup once again with a bold new twist on a classic sip: Cola Italian Ice.
Rita’s is embracing innovation by introducing their new Twisted Cola Blender drink, inspired by the viral social media trend that has taken the internet by storm. Rita’s Twisted Cola Blender combines the bold taste of the new Cola Ice in a refreshing drink form, topped with indulgent CocoLime Cream, to offer a sweet, creamy, coconut-lime flavor twist that pairs perfectly with the Cola Ice. It’s only available for a limited time and is a must-try treat! Rita’s tried-and-true Gelati lovers can also enjoy Cola Ice in their new Cola Float Gelati, made with layers of Cola Ice and Vanilla Frozen Custard.
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard opened its doors in Bensalem, Pa. in 1984, and has been dedicated to spreading “Ice, Custard, Happiness!” ever since. Now, Rita’s is the largest Italian Ice concept in the world with over 575 shops. Check out their website, link in the title.
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Pretzelmaker® Rolls Out Free Pretzel Bites for National Pretzel Day
Pretzelmaker, owned by FAT Brands Inc. and known as the innovator of Pretzel Bites, celebrated National Pretzel Day this year with the return of a fan-favorite deal—fresh out of the oven. On April 26, fans were treated to a free small order of original Pretzel Bites, salted or unsalted, at participating locations across the U.S. Check out their press release for more details!
Since opening its first stand in 1991, Pretzelmaker has been all about Bite-Sized Fun and Full-Sized Flavor. Best known for inventing the Pretzel Bite, the brand prides itself on freshness—from hand-rolled snacks to all-natural lemonade. Today, Pretzelmaker has over 200 locations worldwide.
We love how they’ve used a National Day in such a fun way—but what we really like are those little bites! We’re all for a classic pretzel, but sometimes they’re just a bit too much. These bite-sized versions are perfect—and delicious. Maybe it’s time for more ‘big bites’ to go bite-sized too? If you’re interested in National Days like this, we highlight the most interesting ones (a month ahead!) in our weekly Trendmail. You can subscribe here!
