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Restaurateurs in the spotlight at the Gourmet Festival

Whether national or international, a food festival offers restaurateurs a good platform to increase their visibility, make contact with customers, test new ideas and sell products.

Gourmetfestival Düsseldorf
The Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf is the largest outdoor food festival in Europe, attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year.
Gourmet Festival: Why restaurateurs should take part

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What´s it all about?

  • How do restaurateurs benefit from taking part in a food festival?
  • Which METRO customers were at the Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf?
  • How has METRO as the main sponsor helped its customers to participate in the Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf?
Content:

The Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf is the largest outdoor food festival in Europe, attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year. It offers participating restaurateurs a platform on which to showcase their business and their product offerings. Numerous METRO customers did not miss this opportunity in 2023: During the three-day catering event, they served visitors a wide variety of products and food trends. And that will be the case again in 2024. So what else speaks in favour of regular participation in food festivals for restaurateurs?

Increasing visibility and gaining customers

Restaurateurs can increase awareness of their business by showcasing their dishes and culinary creations to a broad audience. The festival offers an ideal platform for drawing attention to a restaurant or company. A Gourmet Festival also gives restaurateurs the chance to engage directly with visitors, get feedback about their food and showcase their range. This helps them to understand their guests better, identify their preferences and gain potential regulars.

Natia Torchinava, owner of So Re in Flingern, also made the most of this opportunity and gave visitors to the Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf an insight into Georgian cuisine. Although this is less widespread in Germany and is unfamiliar to many, the young restaurateur says: “Georgian cuisine is really for anyone who loves meat, cheese and vegetables.” And visitors could test this out for themselves at her stand.

Hendrik Schellkes at the Gourmet festival
A Ladle

A ladle of… three helpings of the finest cuisine

Today’s 3-question interview: Hendrik Schellkes, Wellfairs GmbH, about the collaboration with METRO on three festivals and the culinary differences between the cities on the Rhine and the Niers.

Gastronomy

Testing culinary innovations

A food festival offers restaurateurs the opportunity to try out new dishes, trends and concepts. Professionals can test the market response to a dish before including it in their regular menu in the restaurant.

Both Agata’s Düsseldorf and the Maximilian Lorenz restaurant pursued this strategy, serving up a combination of street food and Michelin-starred cuisine to visitors at the 2023 Düsseldorf food festival. “In contrast to when we are in the restaurant, the Gourmet Festival offers us the opportunity to be a little freer,” says Marcel Förster, Head Chef at Agata’s. Israeli start-up Redefine Meat also greeted visitors with an innovative food trend: deceptively real “vegetarian meat” from a 3D printer. Feedback from guests was so positive that the company had sold out by 2pm on the second day of the festival.

Cooperation and networking

Another major benefit of food festivals is the opportunity to network with other restaurateurs, producers and suppliers. This can result in cooperative arrangements that bring benefits to companies in the long term. One example here is Byliny from Düsseldorf. After many years of collaboration, the restaurant was represented at the 2023 Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf for the first time jointly with METRO. For three months, owners of Byliny, Norman Metzing and Michael Caasmann, worked together with METRO on their showcase for the food festival. Alongside delicious food, guests could also enjoy a wide selection of fine wines – all from the METRO product range.

In 2024, the restaurant Staudi's, which offers ‘modern German cuisine’, will be on the menu.

METRO as the main sponsor of the Gourmet Festival

METRO supports the Gourmet Festival in Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach and Cologne as the main sponsor and partner. The wholesaler supplies customers with the food they need throughout the festival and ensures punctual replenishment. Furthermore, METRO holds discussion events to bring the needs of the hospitality industry onto the political agenda. See also 👉How else does METRO support the hospitality industry?

A portrait of Gastro participants from previous years:

Sebastian and Magda

The art of being clever

The Staudi's in Düsseldorf is a real gem. The Staudingers have fulfilled a lifelong dream with their restaurant.

Gastronomy

Norman Metzing and Michal Caasmann

No day goes by without teamwork

Modern interpretations and a lot of creativity: that's how the restaurant and bar at Byliny complement each other.

Gastronomy

Owner Agata Reul with head chef Philipp Lange

Agata's star cuisine

In the starry sky: Restaurant Agata's is a place where people enjoy with all their senses.

Gastronomy

The menu at Sore is small, but includes meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes

Georgian cuisine in Düsseldorf

Nadia Torchinava runs her own Georgian restaurant and relies on METRO for purchasing, the website and the cash register.

Gastronomy

Redefine Meat: meat substitute from the 3D printer

Deceptively real meat to enjoy

A plant-based meat substitute that tastes like real meat? Absolutely. So say the inventors of Redefine Meat.

Innovation

A Ladle

A Ladle

New trends are shaping the food and catering and hospitality industry. The focus is on inspiring projects and personalities. They show what's trendy, what's moving and what's successful.

Discover series

Further articles