Market Trends

🏨 STAAH hosts a Weekly Hotel Industry Quiz aimed at hoteliers to test knowledge and stay updated with industry trends. The quiz covers various topics including luxury hotel brands and hotel software. Participants are encouraged to share the quiz and look forward to new quizzes each week.

🌺 Hibiscus, also known as 'jamaica,' is trending on U.S. restaurant menus, featured in 10.2% of them—a 30% rise in four years, according to Datassential. This flowering plant, recognized for its vibrant hue and tart flavor, is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. Popular in teas, cocktails, syrups, and desserts, hibiscus is most common in independent and fine-dining restaurants, aligning with the demand for global flavors and floral notes.

🍸 The 2024 hospitality trends report by af&co and Carbonate highlights the revival of "Clarified Classics" cocktails, using milk clarification and alternative methods like agar agar or a centrifuge. This technique, which originated in the Victorian Era, enhances flavor and texture in cocktails and is gaining popularity among bartenders nationwide. Carbonate, a creative agency, produces this annual report with af&co, which is recognized by major publications like The New York Times and Forbes.

🍹 The Paloma, a mixed drink from Mexico, combines tequila, grapefruit soda, and lime juice, and is gaining popularity in the U.S. with a 57% increase on restaurant menus over four years, now found on 7.7% of menus. Market research by Datassential shows 27% of the U.S. population recognizes the Paloma, especially among Hispanic consumers. Restaurants are customizing the cocktail by adding spices or syrups. Click to explore the Paloma's presence in a New York City restaurant menu.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, oversees food and beverage trends reporting. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, he wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), reported in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times (1992-1997), and covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square events for ABC News. His column won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, he's a Phi Beta Kappa Tufts graduate (1990), studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986), and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Contact: [email protected]

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, he covered New York City's restaurant scene for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008. A magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, he also studied at Le Cordon Bleu and in China. Bret was inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014.

🍴 Berg Hospitality Group, founded by CEO Benjamin Berg, opened its first restaurant, B&B Butchers, in Houston in May 2015. Now, the group operates 16 restaurants across Fort Worth, Houston, and Arlington, Texas. The group's latest opening is Soy Cowboy, a pan-Asian-inspired eatery at the Loews Hotel in Arlington, and has plans for a partnership with Roark Capital-owned Carvel to launch Buttermilk Baby in Houston, a fast-casual concept reminiscent of a nostalgic soda fountain, with a second location in Sugarland, Texas, and an ambition to open 10 more within five years. Berg Hospitality also anticipates the launch of a speakeasy and Canopy Social rooftop bar in Houston in the next 6-7 months, along with expansion of other concepts like Turner’s Cut steakhouse in San Antonio and Austin. Berg emphasizes service and hospitality as core values in his business.

🌮 South Dakota's cuisine is evolving beyond American staples with restaurants like Justin Warner's Bokujo Ramen in Rapid City and Joseph Raney’s Skogen Kitchen in Custard drawing attention. Despite a population under 910,000 as per the 2022 census and challenging weather, the state's restaurant industry is growing, highlighted by four new independent eateries that demonstrate a shift in food and dining style.

🏨 Online reviews on platforms like Google and TripAdvisor are crucial for a hotel’s success, influencing reputation, ranking, and profits. Hotels should provide unforgettable experiences, simplify review submission with direct links and calls-to-action, and automate requests using tools like STAAH ReviewMinder. Engaging with all reviews, taking action on feedback, and promoting direct bookings through review incentives can also boost review quality and quantity. Consistent efforts in these areas can lead to enhanced online reputation and more direct bookings.

🍴 Award-winning chef Sean Brock opened Joyland's first location in Nashville in 2020; the second opened in Birmingham, Ala. in mid-August. The fast-casual restaurant serves biscuits, burgers, fried chicken, and features a popular Crustburger. The Birmingham location seats 84 inside and 49 on the patio. The menu includes items like breakfast burritos, biscuit sandwiches, and seasonal hand pies. Organic chicken is sourced from Springer Mountain Farm in Georgia, and Bear Creek Farm in Tennessee provides a proprietary beef blend. Joyland is in partnership with Nick Pihakis of Pihakis Restaurant Group and Southall Farm & Inn founder Paul Mishkin. More Joyland locations are expected to open in the South in the coming months.