The Americas
Super Bowl servings at Superdome included alligator sausage and seafood nachos
Super Bowl LIX, which took place in New Orleans on Sunday February 9, saw Philadelphia Eagles beat Kansas City Chiefs. In the kitchens of the Caesars Superdome meanwhile, operators Sodexo Live created a menu that that promised fans “a true taste of New Orleans.” The cajun-heavy menu saw alligator sausage line up next to seafood nachos served with cajun blackened shrimp and three different po’boys (a surf & turf po’boy, a soft shell crab po’boy and a fried oyster po’boy). Stadium suites also served tomahawk steaks, a sushi platter that formed the Roman numerals ‘LIX’, and a ‘seafood tower’.
US hotel construction rebounds, but still below peak 2019 level
The US is set to see a major hotel industry expansion in 2025, according to real estate experts CoStar. New York City and Nashville will drive much of that growth, with NYC predicted to add 5,719 new hotel rooms in 2025 and Nashville a projected 2,849 new rooms this year. Elsewhere in the US, the industry also experienced substantial growth in 2024, with 721 hotels and a total of 73,682 rooms opening. CoStar has predicted this will increase to 953 hotels, adding 108,366 rooms in 2025. However, the overall construction volume still remains below peak levels seen in 2019 and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asia Pacific
Filipino celebrity chef Margarita Forés “found dead in Hong Kong hotel room”
Tributes have been paid to the celebrated Filipino chef and restaurateur Margarita Forés, who has passed away aged 65. Fores was found unresponsive in her Hong Kong hotel room according to a post on social media by her family. Forés was renowned for championing Filipino cuisine globally. In 1997, she also launched Cibo in the Philippines, a popular restaurant chain offering affordable Italian comfort food at 20+ locations across the country. She was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016 and was a two-time cancer survivor.
Swiggy to add 2% fee on restaurant orders in India
Indian online food ordering and delivery company Swiggy has announced it will introduce a 2% collection fee on all orders, deducting it from restaurant payouts, effective from February 16. The company wrote to its restaurant partners in an email that the fee would be deducted from their payouts, The Arc has reported. “This fee is for facilitating seamless customer payments on the Swiggy platform,” the report quotes. Founded in 2014, Swiggy is headquartered in Bangalore and operates in 680 Indian cities.
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2025 welcomes new three-star restaurant
The 2025 restaurant selection of The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland, unveiled at a ceremony held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday February 10, saw Moor Hall in Lancashire named as the Guide’s latest three-star restaurant. A total of 1,147 restaurants – including 220 starred establishments – are included in the selection. A further three restaurants were newly awarded two stars, while there are 22 new one-star establishments. 36 new Bib Gourmands were awarded to restaurants “offering good food at a great price”. Five new Green Stars were also given for outstanding commitment to a more sustainable approach to gastronomy.
Heineken posts growth as world’s most popular non-alcoholic beer
Dutch multinational brewing company Heineken has seen its global sales rise to €36bn. One notable development was the rise in sales of its non-alcoholic beers and ciders, which increased by 10%. Heineken 0.0 is available in 117 countries worldwide and ranks as the world’s most popular non-alcoholic brand. The growth of non-alcoholic beers was especially pronounced in markets including Brazil and the US. Overall, Heineken recorded a 1.6% volume growth. Africa, the Middle East and Asia had the strongest volume growth, while growth in Europe was limited to 0.3%.
Michael Jones
