A familiar face in the center of Emmen stops working. After 41 years at the helm of his lunchroom, Harry Kort (67) is stepping down to retire. “I still enjoy the work, but there comes a day when you have to take a step back.”
Together with his wife Aukje Kort-Pol (66), who acts as a strong force in the background, the adventure comes to an end. The business on Hoofdstraat in Emmen continues to exist and has been taken over.
Kort has been through a lot in all those years. One of the things that immediately comes to mind is the story of a regular guest. “He came every Thursday evening at the stroke of nine o’clock and on Saturday afternoon at the stroke of half past four. Then he had a drink or something to eat with the regulars. For thirty years, not once was he missed.”
The man died shortly after due to cancer. “I told the story of that boy, what he experienced. He was actually a brother of mine, that’s how you should see it,” says Kort.
The business has many regular customers. As an example he mentions two parents who came by with their three children. “Those three kids are giant boys now, but the first time they came here they were still in the stroller.”
On Facebook, Kort is flooded with grateful messages from people who wanted to come by. Although he and his wife are officially retiring, it is not the case that he will never be found in the business again. “When it’s busy, I really want to step in and help. The work is also just a lot of fun.”
But what will he do with the rest of his time? “I don’t have any plans yet, no really,” he laughs. “I used to like to go fishing at the Oranjekanaal, but I no longer have any fishing rods.” And of course he will have a lot of time for his five grandchildren. “Those are at the top of the list, right.”
In addition to catering, there used to be a lot of playing in the lunchroom. Later it made way for darts, the last match of which will be played tonight. “Then that’s over too. But they will come back, just not with darts anymore,” he jokes.
Finally, the retirement is celebrated with the regular customers. Short: “I won’t be so fresh on Saturday morning when I wake up, so I think I’ll need some paracetamol.”
