The characteristic yellow coins flew over the counter in those years and the ‘cup of beer’ was especially popular, Ron remembers. 12 beers for 25 guilders, think about it again. “When it was busy, the tap was open all evening.”
There is panic once, he remembers. “At half past nine in the evening there was no more beer coming out of the pump, even though the room was full of people. In the end we made it with barrels of beer, until the beer computer started working again. That was quite exciting.”
‘All fun’
Van Rooijen is actually experiencing his student days in the café, he realizes. “It was all fun. After such an evening we sat down and the staff stayed around until early in the morning. Second Christmas Eve was always the busiest evening of the year for us. Afterwards we celebrated Christmas together, with presents and all. You really became friends with each other.”
Van Rooijen sold the café in 1997, but five years later it went bankrupt. After having had different names, the name Van Rooijen has been restored since 2019, under a different owner. The successes of that time prove difficult to emulate. The catering industry has changed considerably in recent years. “I wouldn’t want to trade anymore,” says Robbert-Jan.
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