The terraces aren’t opening next week and the hospitality industry is furious
Several mayors called last week for action, saying that as soon as the sun starts shining, the situation becomes untenable, with overcrowded parks, beaches and other places where people like to spend time. “Open those terraces already“, was the message. That way, people can relax outdoors in a controlled environment, instead of seeking each other out with a bottle of rosé in the park. And for a moment, it seemed everything was heading in that direction. Seemed. Because on 21 April, the terraces are not opening after all. WHY NOT?!
A quick sketch of my Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t really warm, but still: I went to the beach. Just to get out, see a different environment, get some fresh air and healthy sea air, blah blah blah. Since I’m never far from somewhere to get food, my girlfriend and I decided to pick up something for lunch at the beach.
What the hell are we all doing?!
And this is how it went: because of the gigantic but closed terrace, we had to go inside—wearing a face mask, disinfecting our hands and keeping one and a half metres apart—to place and pay for our order. Then we had to walk around the beach café to the back, where a pick-up point had been opened for our takeaway. We then ate it on the ground, along with all the other people who had ordered a sandwich. Mind you, right next to the gigantic but closed terrace.
Groups of people were sitting everywhere, desperately struggling with small salad containers, cardboard soup cups and cartons of fries. The lunch was tasty, to be fair, but the whole situation is starting to annoy me so much that I’m finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy it. Instead of having a relaxed lunch on a gigantic terrace, we all have to sit on the ground around that same terrace. What is the point of this, does anyone still know? I don’t, neither do a great many people, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) doesn’t, and the hospitality industry least of all.
A carrot dangled in front of you
Once again, the hospitality industry has been dangled another carrot: 21 April, or so it seemed, would see the terraces reopen. Nothing could be further from the truth: it has emerged from the Catshuis consultations that the reopening of terraces and the lifting of the curfew will be postponed by a week for the time being, until 28 April. Extremely disappointing and once again a hard blow in the face of hospitality entrepreneurs, KHN agrees.
Terraces can open safely
It is incomprehensible that, due to failing government policy, hardly any steps have still been taken after 13 months to get the economy moving again. The hospitality industry can be part of the solution: KHN has been saying for months that more is possible, that terraces can open safely—recent research confirms this—and that there are also opportunities to reopen the hospitality industry safely and responsibly in stages using the KHN hospitality roadmap, KHN says.
‘All we’ve been doing for months is waiting again..’
Many hospitality entrepreneurs have, quite rightly in my view, had enough and have little or no confidence left—not in the government, nor in KHN—as can be seen from the rather fierce reactions on social media: ‘Maybe KHN should enforce that the terraces reopen by 28 April and that we can once again open the doors indoors to at least 50 people. We should also draw up a roadmap whereby four weeks after 28 April we can move to 100 people again (as last year before the hospitality industry was closed). This offers perspective and a chance to save all our hospitality businesses. All we’ve been doing for months is waiting again.. I think we’ve had quite enough of waiting. We expect KHN to finally take action and put its fist on the table instead of slowly allowing ourselves to be transported to the slaughterhouse like meek sheep. If 200 people can walk past each other in Jumbo, then you can also have 50 people in a café or restaurant with a seat, 1.5-metre distancing and good ventilation. And you don’t have to wonder whether your glass has already been touched by 50 other people, since they are simply washed.’
And another hospitality entrepreneur says: ‘I noticed everywhere around me that hospitality entrepreneurs were confident. I saw vacancies appearing everywhere and terraces being tidied, cleaned and put back in place. I don’t have a terrace myself, but I hoped indoor service would follow soon. Honestly, I find the situation bizarre; the OMT decides, with all the consequences that entails. It’s ridiculous how all of this is happening again—I no longer believe in it. I haven’t received a single euro from the state and am simply being left to fend for myself…’
‘Enormous disappointment. My heart is breaking. For the first time in half a year, I had real hope after the press conference. Preparations underway… how much longer can this continue, AND without government support?’
Open the whole thing!
Several entrepreneurs had already been calling for months to reopen the terraces in protest and in defiance of the rules. Because if the parks are overcrowded, a terrace with tables one and a half metres apart and a limited number of people can open too, right? At the beginning of March, a few terraces did open, but unfortunately that lasted an extremely short time. And now? Will it really happen on 28 April? And when will indoor hospitality venues reopen too? In countries around us, such as Spain and Italy, the hospitality industry has already reopened. Outdoors and indoors! And how much good it does everyone! The economy is picking up (a little) again, and the residents are benefiting even more! Now it’s our turn. Come on, Rutte and co., embrace KHN’s initiatives and reopen the whole damn lot in a controlled way!
