In this corona restaurant, you can go on vacation to a different country every day
The doors of the hospitality industry will remain closed until 20 May 2020. However, the mandatory closure does not mean that hospitality entrepreneurs are sitting idle. For example, Jonnie Boer of De Librije is having special trolleys made, many chefs are working on new menus and some businesses are now being renovated so they can open later in the 1.5-metre hospitality reality. But still… many entrepreneurs are deeply concerned. Because is it even possible to make a 1.5-metre hospitality business profitable?
Hospitality entrepreneur Michiel Boon of Lekkerr restaurant in Schoonhoven thinks he has found a profitable solution for 1.5-metre hospitality. Michiel: ‘I saw many entrepreneurs around me trying to solve the 1.5-metre problem: with partitions, lots of space between the tables, trolleys and things like that. And every time I saw such initiatives, I thought, ‘how enjoyable will eating out be later?’ If that’s how it has to be, I’d rather stay at home. You miss the whole experience. People want a night out, and even more so later, I think. A few hours of escaping reality. Our 1.5-metre solution: as soon as we’re allowed to open, we’ll launch the world’s first themed-room restaurant.’
Get away close to home
A themed-room restaurant—what should you imagine that to be? Michiel: ‘Especially now that a holiday is not an option for many people for the time being, we thought it would be fun to create something that would still let people get away for a while. In our renovated restaurant, our guests can still enjoy a little holiday this summer. We are creating eight different themed rooms, referring to specific countries. All these rooms are fully decorated according to their own theme, such as Rome, Paris or Tokyo, including matching music. We make the experience complete from start to finish, because that’s what it’s all about. Of course, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but you also book your room the way you book a holiday—with your boarding pass serving as your reservation. In the restaurant, you start out on the plane and then travel to your booked destination. If you book a weekend in Paris, your evening begins with charcuterie in a cosy Parisian bistro.’
Cocoon dining
Each room accommodates two to six people. Naturally, all RIVM rules are observed. The staff therefore remain outside the room. Michiel: ‘But of course, our guests will be pampered in our own way.’ The fun thing about this concept is that the themes can constantly be adapted. Michiel: ‘If we still can’t go to Munich for Oktoberfest in October, we’ll bring the world’s biggest beer festival to our restaurant with an Oktoberfest room. And what about skiing with a schnitzel by the slopes? Anything is possible.’
‘We don’t know how long this will last, so we have to be very flexible. We hope to hear on 13 May that we can open on 1 June under certain conditions. The rooms are built modularly, so when the restaurant can open normally again, we can also use the rooms for events. And when I see how enthusiastically people are responding, I think it will definitely catch on.’
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Fixed price
And this holiday won’t leave you broke either: regardless of which room you reserve, you pay a fixed price per person (due when making the reservation). Adults pay 55 euros, children up to 12 years old 25 euros, and for children under ten, a holiday close to home costs 10 euros. As soon as more is known about the new hospitality measures, you can book and pay immediately. An added benefit: ‘then part of my liquidity problem will also be solved,’ says Michiel.
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