Food Tourism: heritage vs. Mini escapism.

Nostalgia is stronger than ever vs. Mini escapism in food.

Just look for a seat today in restaurants like Ciro's in Antwerp or Au vieux Saint Martin in Brussels. People crave the good old days. Classic dishes, attention to the right service and a setting that doesn't always have to and doesn't want to stand out.
Within true, we are currently working on a new food concept: Repasse.
Repasse was created by two young foodies who wanted to put nostalgia back on the menu, but with a modern twist. A match you’ll soon get a taste from at the site of The Koninck brewery.

Online, we can reach any kitchen with just a simple click...
And also in our streets we see enormous diversity of tastes and scents.
Today, however, we see that simply 'tasting something' is no longer enough.
Customers want to be immersed in a culture, think of the right decor, soundscape, and vibe. The co-creators who can achieve this are now a step ahead. The teasing of all the senses is more important than ever to be able to offer the customer that little bit of mini escapism.

We have missed each other, haven't we?

Hungry for real skin vs. Rise of the 'over' delivering

In this one, our society is well on its way to an ethical dilemma.
What do we choose as a society? Convenience vs social contact.
A society where everything comes to your door in a snap. But how sustainable is this model?
After the larger supermarket chains, we now see specialized companies making their appearance on the delivery market. Think of Rayon (a brainchild of the people behind foodbag) or the German super fast home delivery company: Gorillaz.
Two companies that make convenience and speed their baseline.
What image do we give to our youth when we raise them from the idea that every product is accessible at any time. And this in less than 10 minutes. We already miss the contact with the butcher, a professional who can then tell us more about that specific piece of meat.
As so often, the truth lies in the middle, doesn't it?

Professionalization within the hospitality industry.

Rise of hospitality groups vs. Sole traders are stronger than ever.

Corona as the catalyst for a professional hospitality industry... It's a slogan we've seen passing by a lot in the last year. Against our better judgment?
If we look at our neighbor countries, we can already see a shift towards professionally managed hospitality groups such as 3WO. A company that manages various hospitality concepts from 1 overhead. No longer focusing on the roll-out of a mono product but thinking about the right food concept at the right location. Choices are based on data about the environment, demographics, and potential sales figures.

Here in Belgium, we are now seeing a movement to catch up. Groups such as Shrimp Tempura (Antwerp) and MTM group (Ghent) are now also combining various brands under one umbrella.
Although such organizations have had it far from easy in Covid times, many one-man businesses with a limited cost structure received proportionally much more support and were able to survive in this way. These businesses and entrepreneurs now hope to professionalize themselves and make optimal use of the new turnover streams.
What is certain is that the hospitality industry of tomorrow must measure. To measure, is to know... And data must help our sector to be profitable so that entrepreneurs (and banks) continue to invest in the sector with sufficient good grace.

Food as medicine

Immunity boosting food (physical health) vs. Fast food chains are doing better than ever (mental health)

Recent data highlighted that six of ten people are currently worried about their personal health, and almost a quarter are spending more time on self-care than they did before the pandemic. Consumers’ definition of self-care is expanding. In the coming years, Mintel says, nutrition will be practiced as self-care. For fine food retailers this means there is no reason to be sitting on the sidelines of health food trends and wellness routines – food is now at the center of the movement.

The human immune system, which consists of various immune cells that are found throughout the body, helps keep us healthy by fighting and preventing infections, from the common cold to Covid-19. Researchers have found that micronutrients, such as Vitamin C, have a big impact on health. Not getting enough of these vitamins and minerals can lead to poor immune function and more frequent disease from viral infections.
According to the researchers, eating a balanced diet with micronutrients including Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, magnesium and zinc plays a key role in maintaining healthy immune function.

On the other hand, we saw that fast food chains were the best COVID survivors when it came to food concepts.
We could see this as a kind of "counter" reaction, where people are tired of constantly having to do what is supposed to be done. It's a dangerous mistake that we should certainly keep an eye on. Our Western diet is one that leaves its mark. Childhood obesity is an acute problem... Raising this generation with the right knowledge about what we (should) eat is a major challenge for the years to come!

The battle between online and offline

Metafood vs. Real leaf extremism (The $1.000 steak)

Cryptocurrencies and the food industry might not seem like the most intuitive pairing — one based in the digital realm and the other firmly rooted in the physical. But going back to the earliest days of crypto, the very first real-world use case for Bitcoin (BTC) was food related. On May 22, 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz enacted the first documented commercial BTC transaction, buying two Papa John’s pizzas for the princely sum of 10,000 BTC.

So how will foodservice operators exist in the Metaverse?
By creating a richer culinary experience.
Largely, the progression of food service into the Metaverse will be a continuation of a digitization journey that’s already begun. Along with the platform model taking over food delivery and takeout, it’s also increasingly common to begin the restaurant experience online by researching options using Google or TripAdvisor. You might visit a restaurant’s website to look at the menu or see pictures or even videos of meals and the restaurant itself. Imagine watching your team play a virtual big game and seeing online ads around the stadium for all the places you can eat afterward, just like in the physical stadium now.

Once the match has finished and you’re hungry for some takeout, you take your avatar down to a virtual street food market where you can check out the various operators and their menus, which are represented as virtual dishes. When you’re ready to order, you pay instantly with crypto, and voila! Your meal arrives at your door within the next half an hour.
Of course, this is in strong contrast to the extreme experience people seek in real life.
Today, consumers pay big money for special food concepts where they experience something unforgettable.
Just think of Nusr's meat restaurants, where you can easily pay several hundred dollars for a piece of meat. And even thousands when he sprinkles some salt on it.
But actually, this is also an online experience, because the person who experiences this shares this on his social media anyway.
So, a real blur between real life and online.