Market Trends

🍳 FB Society plans to open Shaver Hall, a 35,000-square-foot food hall in New York City's former Lord & Taylor building at 424 Fifth Ave, expected to open later this year. The hall will feature 11 food stalls, including an omakase concept, wine and cheese bar, steakhouse, and modern bodega. The Food Hall Co. and FB Society operate multiple venues including Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas, and Assembly Food Hall in Nashville, Tenn. Shaver Hall is named after Dorothy Shaver, Lord & Taylor’s president from 1945 to 1959. ZGF Architects designed the hall, paying homage to the building's rich heritage.

🍉 Calamansi, a Southeast Asian citrus, is used in U.S. restaurants for its lime-tangerine flavor. Found in 0.5% of menus, its use has spiked by 50% in four years, with high awareness among Asian consumers. One New York City restaurant features calamansi in its offerings.

📊 STAAH's Reports module provides actionable insights for property management, with weekly or monthly reviews suggested for strategizing based on market demand. The module categorizes reports into five areas: Insights (business and channel performance), General (operational metrics), Booking Engine (direct booking performance), Opportunities (Booking.com-specific insights), and Logs (internal use for operational transparency). These tools aid in identifying trends, adjusting strategies, and enhancing guest experiences, positioning properties for growth in a dynamic market.

🏠 Wellness tourism expected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2025, with wellness travelers spending 53% more than average tourists. Top destinations include Bali, Costa Rica, Japan, India, and Thailand. Hotels can capitalize on this trend by creating a wellness identity, partnering with local practitioners, becoming mediators for health tourism, hosting micro wellness events, and showcasing guest wellness stories. Packages like Weekend Wellness Escapes and Sleep Tourism are trending.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, reports on food & beverage trends for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, also hosting a podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008 and worked in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times from 1992 to 1997. Thorn, a magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member, studied French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu and Chinese language and culture at Nanjing and Beijing Universities. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and joined the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

🍫 In less than a year, Dubai Chocolate became a global dessert sensation, starting with a viral TikTok video by a Dubai-based creator. Named “Dessert of the Year” in a Hospitality Trends Report, it has inspired numerous variations across restaurants and pastry shops. A new trend, Dubai Strawberry Parfaits, layers fresh strawberries, pistachio cream, kataifi, and chocolate sauce. These desserts are now featured from brunch menus to evening offerings.

🎷 Reach Hospitality to open Evelyn steakhouse in Dallas on March 26. The 9,500-square-foot venue designed by ICrave will offer steaks, seafood, and classic cocktails. The main dining room seats 85, while the Ruby Room, main bar, and Room Seven lounge will have 75-100 seats each. Martini prices range from $17 to $22. The Price of Fame cocktail costs $150. Menu highlights include Texas Wagyu Strip and dry-aged prime ribeye, with Evelyn closed on Mondays.

🍸 🍸 Noelle Nashville reopened the Hidden Bar, a Prohibition-era speakeasy, at the end of February, coinciding with the opening of a new restaurant, Lona, by Chef Richard Sandoval. Located in downtown Nashville, the bar's entrance is on historic Printer's Alley. The redesign comes with a focus on classic and inventive cocktails, like the Bee’s Knees and the glitter-topped Storage Closet. Regular events include Trade Secrets, Red Light series, and Inner Light, offering activities such as tarot readings and aura photography.

🧀 Whipped feta, a creamy variation of feta cheese blended with Greek yogurt and olive oil, has seen a 106% increase in restaurant menu appearances over the past four years. With its Greek origins, this cheese is suitable for Mediterranean cuisines. Though not specified, whipped feta's popularity is most significant among millennials, with 47% of the population aware of it and 20% having tried it. It can be topped with honey, roasted vegetables, and spicy oils, often shared on social media.