Rethinking the business concept of gastronomic powerhouses

The corona crisis has forced the food service sector to reinvent themselves to meet the new “normal” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, where people should stay at home, keep distance and tourism was paused.

Despite being a small country with a limited terroir, Denmark has grown into a gastronomic powerhouse in recent years due to the tasty food and high-quality raw materials. The Danish terroir stretches far to the north and it’s no secret that fish and seafood from the North Atlantic around Greenland and the Faroe Islands are widely regarded as some of the best in the world, but the countryside also provides several gastronomic opportunities.

Where else in the world, for example, does the price of the first new potatoes always hit the headlines? Due to Denmark’s northern location with lots of light in the summer but rarely intense heat, it is possible to enjoy locally produced strawberries, asparagus, wild garlic, lumpfish roe, berries and apples all grown under favourable conditions that ensures slow growth of Danish crops and intense flavor development.

From 20-course meals to high-end take-away solutions

The new realities of social distancing have forced the Danish restaurant businesses to rethink their business concept. For example, the two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma quickly reopened as an outdoor food and wine bar replacing its 20-course meals with burgers and the chef behind the innovative restaurant Alchemist has also devoted his time and kitchens to start a project called JunkFood. During the corona crisis they managed to serve 25,000 meals to homeless and socially vulnerable citizens in shelters in Copenhagen.

In addition, two of Denmark’s largest food bloggers quickly launched the online platform “Eat out at home”, where restaurants and cafes that do not normally serve take-away food were offered the opportunity to sell despite the lockdown.

The Danish restaurateur’s adaption is part of a global culinary tendency where the lockdown restrictions has resulted in restaurants all over the world selling take-away food, suddenly making high-end gastronomy accessible to everyone.

Get inspiration to your next steps of business development from the Danish gastronomy scene. In the white paper from Food Nation  you will find a wide array of projects and businesses opportunities.