What expats and tourists think of Dutch service
Compared with other countries, service in Dutch hospitality is, um… different. As a Dutch person, you’re used to service sometimes being terrible, especially in the capital, but for expats and holidaymakers it takes some getting used to. English-language blogs are already giving foreign visitors a heads up.
To be honest, we too have occasionally been amazed by laid-back, sloppy or downright bad service. FavorFlav’s Marcel only noticed it when he left the Randstad: hospitality outside Amsterdam is like a warm bath. ‘I’ve been living in the provinces again for a while now, but I’m still surprised when fresh-faced young women and men with rosy apple cheeks address me as ‘sir’ all evening, despite my having said sixteen times that they should call me ‘you’.’
My colleague covers this area
The blog Confessions of a Shallow Man offers tips on how to get through a restaurant visit in the capital as a tourist in the Netherlands, including phrases to practise beforehand, such as ‘Unfortunately, that’s not possible’ and ‘I can’t help you, my colleague covers this area’. What do you say, for example, when you’re being ignored by the staff? Shallow Man advises: ‘Are we going to get a menu, or did I misunderstand?’ And if that doesn’t work: try another restaurant, or get up and fetch a menu yourself – nice and proactive, which is something the Dutch like.
Ordering in perrrfect Dutch
Invading Holland, the blog by Stuart from London, who now lives in Amsterdam, also offers some useful hints. Want to get the attention of someone from the staff? Simply walking in and choosing a table isn’t enough. The staff won’t notice you, Stuart concludes. Is someone drying a glass behind the bar? There’s a good chance they haven’t seen you at all. And if you do get to the point where you can order, he strongly advises against doing so in Dutch. The staff will keep correcting your pronunciation until you sound more refined than Princess Beatrix. Got yourself a beer? Enjoy it, because that second glass may take a while.
Remarkable
Waiting fifteen minutes for a drink, pointing out an error on the bill to the staff and then receiving the corrected bill without an apology – is that normal? Caitriona Rush from the website Iamexpat looks for an explanation. It could be the egalitarian Dutch way of working together: everyone is equal and nobody is the boss. You can’t really change culture, she writes, but if a company manages to improve its service, it stands out positively among other Dutch businesses. Besides: what’s wrong with more foreign customers?
Read also:
- Waitress (18) shows how boomers leave their table and sparks a generational debate
- 8 things hospitality staff actually like about the 1.5-metre society
- El Arroyo: the sign outside is more famous than the restaurant
