Max Postma thinks he can quickly put the misery of the burglary at his Beach Bites restaurant in Westerland behind him two weeks ago by recovering the damage from his insurance company. But that is disappointing: the insurer compensates virtually nothing for the damage, which puts his newly started company in jeopardy. Out of desperation, he posts a message with a donation link on social media and to his surprise, his customers come to his aid en masse. “So special that people do this.”
He is still impressed by it. 30-year-old Postma posts a message on Facebook on Saturday afternoon with the disappointing news that nothing will be reimbursed. “We are dejected as a team,” he also wrote, “because it unfortunately means that Beach Bites is on the verge of collapse. But we as people are also not quitters and even if we have to fight for this until our last cent and last drop of sweat, we will do so.’
If people want to help – and he indicates that he has been asked that question several times – they should come and have dinner with him, he says. He also shares a donation link in the message, with which people can freely and voluntarily transfer an amount.
Donations
And it is precisely the latter that has happened en masse. Less than 24 hours after posting, he has already received numerous donations. “It’s so special that so many people do that,” says Postma. It often concerns small amounts, but he himself said: ‘Every little bit helps’. And those many little bits now add up to quite a lot: “We have already received almost a thousand euros in donations.”
It is not yet enough to get all damages reimbursed, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Postma therefore posted one on Sunday thank you. ‘The past few days we were at our wits’ end, desperate as to what we had to do to get to spring. But thanks to your generous donations and all the kind messages, there is hope again.’
The burglary itself had a major impact, he says. Two weeks ago, the restaurant in Westerland, taken over a year ago by Max and his sister Nikki (28), was broken into. “The perpetrator entered through a window and in a few minutes he walked straight to the safe and ran away.” Max thinks the perpetrator knew where the safe was.
Someone was reportedly arrested the same day. The burglary is not an isolated incident: at the beginning of this year several catering establishments in the region were robbed broke into, the police suspect a gang. After an arrest in flagrante delicto of four men, there appears to be a wave of burglaries stopped.
Injury
The damage of three thousand euros seems manageable, but is considerable for a newly started company. “On top of that, we had a pretty bad winter and a disappointing summer.”
So brother and sister have to hope for a good year in the catering industry, but the support of their loyal customers makes up for a lot. “We will continue and go for it. We will not give up.”
To view this content you must accept cookies.