Bad news: La Place will remain largely closed after 1 June
It’s been no secret for a long time that the impact of coronavirus on the hospitality industry is indescribably huge. The entire sector is therefore incredibly happy that on 1 June the doors can finally (FINALLY!) open again. But can every business actually open? At La Place, they don’t think so.
The hospitality industry may reopen on 1 June, but La Place is keeping its doors closed for the time being. La Place, after McDonald’s and Van der Valk the largest restaurant chain in the Netherlands, is struggling with the new layout of its restaurants, Ton van Veen, CFO of La Place owner Jumbo, tells Het Financieele Dagblad. And it all has to do with La Place’s buffet concept. Because buffets and coronavirus are not exactly a tasty combination. We also fear that our favourite hotel breakfast buffets will disappear…
‘When people walk past buffets themselves and put together their meals, maintaining hygiene and keeping a distance of 1.5 metres is not so easy.’ Until Jumbo has solved that puzzle and can guarantee the safety of customers and staff, most of La Place’s approximately one hundred restaurants will remain closed, apart from ten to twenty locations.
Coronavirus-proof restaurants
In the meantime, Jumbo is busy developing ‘a La Place 2.0’, says the CFO. In these new, coronavirus-proof restaurants, greater emphasis will soon be placed on speed and prepackaged food. Wandering indecisively past the buffets is, out of necessity, no longer an option for now. The only upside: at least we’ll finally be rid of those little hands in jars of muesli and people taking food and putting it back…
Unfavourable location
Quite apart from the unhygienic buffets, La Place’s locations are also unfavourable in these coronavirus times. ‘Our restaurants are located along motorways, in city centres, at airports and at Google’s headquarters. It’s quiet everywhere. That’s why we’re being hit so hard now.’ Hopefully a solution will be found soon.
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Image: La Place/Facebook
