Widening beverage choice with the simple addition of flavour syrups is contributing significantly to Europe’s coffee bar boom. Bruce Whitehall talks to a French maker of syrups for beverages, cocktails and desserts which now sells over 140 varieties worldwide.

Airlines throughout the world are struggling with the impact of global economic slowdown, declining passenger numbers, looming regulatory costs and soaring fuel prices. As a consequence, many airlines have cut back their catering services over recent years. This does not apply to the expanding aviation market in the Gulf where in-flight catering plays a vital role in the key airlines’ marketing strategies. A report by Bettina Quabius.

Now in five countries including the UK, Egyptian coffee bar chain Cilantro has been described by a major international competitor as “the best homegrown concept I’ve ever seen.” Bruce Whitehall talks to general manager Nadine Beshir about the chain’s colourful format, nurturing approach to staff and customers, and the impact of the Arab Spring. Beshir also describes Cairo Kitchen, which hopes to put Egyptian koshari food on the international map.

The programme they offer is not only an emotional contrast for stressedout city-dwellers: farm restaurants and cafés – romantic rural retreats, oases of peace out in the country, idyllic theme and event locations, from simple farmhouse fare to – ever more frequently – dishes of great culinary sophistication. They stand for authenticity, security, for honest craftsmanship and traceability, often going hand in hand with a philosophy that is rooted in ecology. For operators, gastronomy becomes an integral part of the value creation chain that is the farm, typically combined with a farm shop – the keyword here is direct marketing...

It was certainly strong stuff that they dished out to their audience at this year’s 12th Foodservice Summit in Zurich. And probably quite rare that their messages so pointedly and unanimously boiled down to the same thing: making calculations is allowed, being calculating is not. We are at the dawn of a new age of honesty, and foodservice companies, let alone the global players, will not be able to wriggle their way around some honest-to-goodness TLC andcommunication on equal terms with the consumers.

Food is an important part of Italian culture and eating out is a part of life not a treat. Because of this lifestyle, there are some key differences between Italy and other Western European countries in terms of consumption habits but also their reaction to the economic crisis. By Matteo Figura, Foodservice Manager – Italy, The NPD Group...

So far the year 2011 hasn’t brought any dramatic changes to the overall foodservice landscape in Russia. The major trends that emerged last year are now in full progress.From mid-2010 to mid-2011, Russia’s top 20 restaurant operators showed a unitgrowth of 11%. The number of operations belonging to the top 15 brands in Moscow went up by 8%. Various entrepreneurs are continuing to invest in the foodservice, especially the QSR, sector, often serving as franchising partners for local or international brands.

Catering in France 2010: amongst the sector’s leaders, net sales for the year amounted to U12.7 bn after VAT, a whole 8% up on the previous year. This emerges from a survey of the latest Top 50 carried out by French trade magazine Néorestauration. The big percentage winners are QSR players such as Sushi Shop (+41.7%), Subway (+33%) and KFC (+23.4%) – but also the full-service formula La Pataterie (+45.7%), which offers very good value for money.

The foodservice scene in Mozart’s birthplace Salzburg with its 150,000 inhabitants and 2.2 m overnight visitors a year thrives on the tensions generated by opposites, such as the high and low seasons, great affluence and youthful exuberance, a proud Baroque tradition and student lifestyle. Our gastronomic City Guide presents a baker’s dozen of interesting establishments...

Despite the trend towards healthy living and all the various meat scandals, vegetarian cuisine has so far not had a great impact on the European restaurant scene – and this although the number of vegetarians is growing steadily in many countries. It would seem that vegetarians do not go exclusively to vegetarian restaurants but can also find what they are looking for on the menus of ‘normal’ restaurants...