Restaurant manager sends furious email: owner knows nothing about it
Of course, it can always happen that the company you work for decides to take a different direction. And it may also be the case that this involves, for example, a particular reorganization. But at restaurant Het Seminar, which recently received a Green Michelin Star, this happened in a very unusual way. The restaurant manager sent a rather furious email to the guests, announcing that the entire team was leaving because of the restaurant’s new direction.
In no uncertain terms, the restaurant manager, Raymon Ruiterberg, explained that the entire staff could not identify with Het Seminar’s new vision and that the restaurant would therefore be closing its doors. ‘As an entire team, we find it very unfortunate and sad that it has to end this way. […] Het Seminar as you have known it in the past will stop on July 22,’ the email read. Six of the employees were also said to have handed in their resignations. A strongly worded email that—if it is sent—would normally be signed by the owner. But he knew nothing about it.
‘I almost fell out of my chair when I read it’
Owner Willem Bokhove had no idea that this email had been sent and, understandably, was shocked when he saw it. It had been sent to thousands of Het Seminar’s guests, as well as to him. And the worst part? None of it was true. Yes, the restaurant was indeed going in a different direction, but he had no idea that the staff could not get behind it. In addition, it was complete nonsense that Het Seminar would close (it simply remained open), and those six employees had no intention of resigning at all.
There were only two employees involved: restaurant manager Ruiterberg and a chef. ‘The names of trainees are also listed under the email that was sent. But they know nothing about it,’ Van Bokhove says. He now plans to take legal action against the former restaurant manager for libel and defamation. A remarkable detail: the two have not spoken to each other at all yet. Ruiterberg called in sick after sending the email. He also does not want to speak to the media, but he did provide a written response.
In it, he says that he sent the email ‘to thank a small portion of our regular guests, purely and solely for their trust in us, and to inform them about the current state of affairs at Het Seminar.’ So that is, to put it mildly, how it came across rather differently.
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Image: Jorieke Bokhove
