Hot Trend: Caribbean Feeling for City Dwellers

Beach bars - a pan-European outdoor phenomenon even for landlocked city dwellers offering that certain beach feeling just around the corner instead of in remote holiday destinations. The boom began in the early nineties with locations such as ‘Paris Plage' on the banks of the River Seine or ‘Strandbar Mitte' and ‘Bundespresse stand' in Berlin. Originally, beach-bar flair implied a touch of improvisation. Today, however, these seasonal outdoor locations are increasingly styled down to the last detail. Also, they are not only to be found on the banks of a river or lake but also in highly urban settings such as car-park roofs. As ever, dependence on the goodwill of the weather gods remains an inconvenient risk factor.
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F&B At Airports: Appetite for Exciting Brands

All over the world airport operators have recognised the value of highclass and varied F&B provision if the airport is to be an attractive environment, and in many cases over the past few years they have considerably upgraded their portfolio. For catering brands these sites with dense visitor traffic give an eye-catching window in a demanding competitive milieu. On the other hand, occasionally unforeseeable situations, and derivative demand, require much more flexible and more resource-heavy management of staff and goods employed. In our pan-European Survey we portray three European airports, whose catering profile has been extended and modernized over the last few months.
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Hotel F&B: Aiming for the ‘Perfect Serve’

Hilton Worldwide is one of the world's largest hotel groups, operating more than 3,900 properties with over 650,000 rooms across 90 countries. With the opening of its first regional hotel in Egypt back in 1959, the company was one of the first international hospitality enterprises in the Middle East. Today, the hotel chain operates 54 hotels with more than 300 restaurants across the Middle East & Africa region. In February 2012, Hilton Worldwide announced the opening of an additional 200 new F&B outlets in the MEA region within the next three years. The company plans to set up a whole range of new tailor-made concepts and franchise deals as well as to continue well-established partnerships. A portrait by Bettina Quabius.
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Supplier: Flowline Focus

Reliable flow of materials through foodservice establishments is subject to greater constraints than those encountered in most factories. Kitchen space is tight while product delivery is ergonomically demanding and intensely time-critical. Bruce Whitehall talks to specialist manufacturer Hupfer about its increasingly international focus on kitchen logistics.
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Management: Making Progress in Tougher Times

How to ensure growth in an uncertain economic future: that was the question topping the agenda at the 13th European Foodservice Summit held in Zurich last September. We asked participants from six countries around the world about the pros and cons of growth for the coming years, about important steps they have taken and their strategies to gain further ground (Part 2).
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