Hit by Corona: This Is the Shortest-Open Restaurant Ever
On Sunday, March 15, the government decided that the hospitality industry had to close until April 6. Cas had opened his brand-new business just before then. So it immediately had to close again…
Yes, we are open!
It’s a good thing that the hospitality industry is shut down. Health is the top priority right now, and hopefully we’ll soon be able to flock to the pub and eat out again. It’s a disaster for hospitality entrepreneurs worldwide, large and small, and all kinds of initiatives are popping up to keep businesses running. But imagine having just opened your first business. That’s what happened to Cas van Boxtel, who opened his business, 5. by Cas in Breda on March 15, at exactly five to five. An hour later, the 19-year-old entrepreneur had to close the doors of his brand-new restaurant again because of the measures surrounding the coronavirus.
Sorry, we’re closed
He found the premises for his own business last year and couldn’t wait to really get started. ‘You’ve worked and lived toward this moment for so long. I was so enthusiastic. And then suddenly the closure came, on the evening of my opening drinks. So that came as quite a shock,’ Cas told RTL Nieuws. Cas was still having drinks with his 20 guests when he received a message saying that his business had to close at 6:00 p.m. “For a moment, I didn’t know what to do. I blinked and suddenly the Grote Markt was completely empty. It was so strange and frightening.” Unfortunately, his opening drinks immediately became a farewell gathering as well—at least for the next three weeks.
And fortunately, Cas also sees the advantage of closing early. “We can prepare even better over the next three weeks. Do more test cooking and build up more routine—for when everything is allowed to continue. It can only get better from here.”
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