Where is everyone? Amsterdam’s hospitality scene, why are you so quiet
A week has passed. A week since Monday, June 1, the day the hospitality industry reopened. The day terraces were stormed and every establishment was fully booked. But what was it like on June 2? My favorite restaurant was eerily quiet.
Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam
My hospitality heart started beating faster when I walked into Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam (Cradam) as a little girl. More importantly: going to Cradam with primary school for our Christmas breakfast was the highlight of my school year. The 10-meter-high Christmas tree in the corner, the team skillfully darting across the floor and, above all, the crowds. Tall, big, busy, lots of people. The background noise of people talking, laughing and flirting was deafening. I thought and still think it was incredible.
For years, Cradam remained a constant thread running through my life. For me, it is a place of fond memories, wonderful encounters, emotional conversations and plenty of hearty laughter. Always accompanied by jugs of wine, too much limoncello and a dame blanche for dessert.
Choose a spot
It hurt to see the normally lively establishment so empty on June 2. It was quiet in Cradam. After the health check—which felt like a little performance—we were taken to our table. We were allowed to choose one, because, well; apart from three tables, every table in the restaurant was free. And that is no exaggeration. I should mention that the weather was nice. Many of the reservations were outside and, moreover, we had the late shift at 8:30 p.m., but still: Cradam was empty.
There is never any music playing at Cradam, which is fine. The hum and laughter from the tables around you serve as musical notes that carry you through the evening just fine. But now the silence was painfully audible. We almost started whispering because we felt that everyone (read: the other eight people) could hear us.
An advantage for the smaller establishments
Before our dinner at Cradam, we had sat on the terrace at Piet de Gruyter. A much smaller establishment than Cradam. Here, even though there were only 20 people on the terrace, it immediately felt very cozy. I also visited Klaproos restaurant in Amsterdam-Noord. In terms of size, it falls somewhere between Piet de Gruyter and Cradam. With 30 people, it felt cozy here, but I was glad there weren’t 20 people sitting there, because then it would have felt rather empty.
What the owners of the smaller establishments initially feared so much—“how are we going to reopen with 1.5 meters of distance?”—now seems to have given them a more enjoyable workday than the large cafés and restaurants. It’s not just Cradam; the large Frankendael is also empty when you go there for a cup of coffee on Sunday morning. Whereas if you go to Café ‘T Hooischip for a cup of coffee that same Sunday, where there are only four tables in total but they are all occupied, it feels just like old times: coffee and apple pie in a cozy, bustling pub.
July 1
I really hope that from July 1 onward we will be allowed to welcome more people in the hospitality industry again. And please, everyone, go out. Help them get back on their feet. But above all, make sure that besides receiving a financial boost, the chefs, owners and bar staff, runners and hosts also have an enjoyable workday again. With a full establishment that, after months of misery in the hospitality industry, finally feels a little like old times again and anything but quiet.
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