Miscellaneous

🍽 Bret Thorn has been the senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and served as president of IFEC in 2005. Thorn studied at Tufts University, Le Cordon Bleu, and universities in China. He worked for ABC News during the Tiananmen Square events in 1989. Thorn is known for expertise in restaurant trends and French and Asian cuisines.

🍴 Michelin-starred Chef Lieven Demeestere will host a one-night-only six-course dinner at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu in London on June 20, 2025. This marks his first public dining appearance in the UK. The menu features dishes like Braised Pig Neck and North Sea Ray Wing. The event celebrates his career as he prepares to pass his restaurant, Arenberg, to his family. The dinner costs £110 per person with an optional wine pairing at £55. Booking is recommended.

📱 Zara's new Travel Mode feature on their app is available in the UK, Italy, and Japan, allowing hotel delivery and local shopping. Users can shop for items near their travel destination with geolocation, and prices are in local currency. The app includes travel guides, recommendations for museums, restaurants, and hotels, and a postcard sharing tool. This feature is designed to enhance travelers' shopping experiences by offering localized options and convenient delivery.

✈️ Etraveli Group and Booking.com have extended their partnership by eight years, initially established in 2019. This collaboration enhances Booking.com's flight offerings across 57 countries using Etraveli Group's advanced technology. The extension aims to provide more ease, choice, and value to travellers. CEOs Mathias Hedlund (Etraveli Group) and Glenn Fogel (Booking Holdings) emphasize shared values, innovation, and mutual benefits in advancing the flight booking experience.

🐟 Celebrated chefs Mitch and Ben Tonks will host a residency at Brown's Hotel, London, from June 16 to September 14, 2025. The Donovan Bar will serve sustainable seafood from The Seahorse in Dartmouth, paired with bespoke cocktails by Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan. Highlight dishes include sea bass crudo and spider crab. Joe's Bar at The Seahorse will feature signature cocktails. Since 2021, Ben Tonks has led The Seahorse, championing sustainability and traceable seafood.

🍳 Mark Abbott, Executive Chef at Aqua Shard, began his culinary journey in Northern Ireland, working with renowned chefs like Michael Dean, Andrew Fairlie, and Paul Kitching. In 2010, he joined Midsummer House in Cambridge, becoming head chef by 2014. Abbott emphasizes British cuisine, seasonality, and refined techniques. He collaborates with top suppliers, such as The Wild Room, Aubrey Allen, and Neal’s Yard Dairy, to highlight the UK’s culinary heritage at Aqua Shard in London.

✈️ TPConnects Technologies, an IATA-certified travel tech company, has launched its International Reseller Program. The program allows travel organizations to offer Iris and Astra solutions globally. Partnerships already include Gerry’s Travel Group (Pakistan), Al Irtehal Group (Oman), and Maas Travel and Tours (Bangladesh). Iris aggregates airline content for travel agencies, while Astra provides airlines with control over distribution. TPConnects aims for global expansion, leveraging strategic alliances to enhance market reach.

💻 Summer travel season heightens cybersecurity challenges for the hospitality industry due to increased guest traffic and digital activity. Temporary staff and third-party platforms expose vulnerabilities. To combat cyber threats, hospitality leaders should join intelligence-sharing groups, tighten access controls, enforce multi-factor authentication, and offer targeted training. Real-time monitoring and shared threat intelligence can aid faster responses. Collaborative defenses help reduce risks and protect operations during this peak period.

🍤 Tyler Kanwai, owner of TK Surf & Turf Kitchen, Denver's first Black-owned seafood restaurant, saw a 300-400% business increase after a 2021 TikTok review garnered 1 million views. Opening in October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant honors victims of social injustice. Kanwai's culinary passion started at age five in Colorado. Now, TK's content strategy includes viral TikTok trends, with a recent post reaching 50,000 views. The restaurant's fame attracts customers globally.

🍴 Duck & Waffle Edinburgh, from June to September 2025, introduces The 9pm Club at St. James Quarter: 25% off total food and beverage bills from 9pm to close. Available seven nights weekly, it offers an energetic evening dining culture with special DJ sets. Assistant General Manager David Sculac emphasizes energizing Edinburgh’s dining scene. Reservations are required, and the offer ends on September 30, 2025. For details, visit their website.