Chefs are making the best of it once again: welcome to dunch!
Now that the hospitality industry is pulling out all the stops once again to deal with the latest restrictions, meal boxes from some restaurants are reappearing here and there, and entrepreneurs are mainly looking for ways to make the best of the much shorter opening hours. And that is leading to plenty of inventiveness.
You just have to ‘think differently’, which is what this concept is all about: dunch. We had already seen Chef Joris Bijdendijk of the RIJKS and Wils restaurants use it as a badge of honor, and several restaurants have now embraced it out of necessity: we’re no longer sitting down to eat at seven or eight in the evening, but simply nice and early. Somewhere between lunch and dinner, hence ‘dunch’…
Linner dinner lunch dunch
I believe ‘linner’ was previously suggested as a term, which, following the example of ‘brunch’ (between ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’), is actually more logical for a meal between lunch and din(n)er. But that word never really caught on; at least, I never hear it anymore. Never mind; I’m just as happy to dunch!
You’ll be in bed early again
The idea is to move everything forward, including a multi-course dinner, so guests can still leave by eight o’clock while enjoying that wonderful feeling of dining out and being looked after and pampered, with delicious dishes and good wine. And if it happens a few hours earlier than usual, you can enjoy it just as much.
The earlier the better
Some establishments are even opening at noon with these new measures. And although I feel terribly sorry that they are being forced into this, it can be wonderful when you happen to fancy a single glass of wine with a good dish in the afternoon—something that rises above the average sandwich. So I definitely plan to pop into a restaurant (or make a reservation) whenever I can, to help contribute a little to their daytime turnover.
Out and about during the week
Let’s be honest: during the week, it is of course much harder for restaurants to bring their hard work to customers during the day. Many people are working themselves at that time and can only go out during the day at the weekend. But many entrepreneurs, although battered by the past year and a half of restrictions, are keeping their spirits up and carrying on optimistically and creatively. We wish everyone with such perseverance the very best of luck and solemnly promise that you can count on us—dunching and all!
Also read:
- Star chef Joris Bijdendijk: ‘No-shows are destroying our business’
- The strangest eating habits during office lunch
- What is the best time to have lunch when you work from home?
