“And then you notice how heavy it is without support,” says Waaijenberg. “We have deliberately paid all the staff, but you can imagine that the costs will rise considerably.” And it certainly did. In total, they have incurred about eight tons of debt due to the missed corona support. “You put a lot of equity in it, we may have to work ten years longer to earn back the money.”
The couple has since received a small part of the money. But that is not in proportion to the costs incurred over the past two years. They hope for more with the lawsuit. “Hopefully our story can be an example for more people.”
The KHN initially wanted to start the business on behalf of the entire catering industry. She hoped that the government would cover all debts or losses incurred by entrepreneurs as a result of the corona measures. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that that is not possible. That is why a case has now been started with eight catering entrepreneurs who each tell their story about their problems during the pandemic.
Waaijenberg and her partner slowly start to smile again. The restaurant is running well and all planned weddings have gone ahead. The couple has also received a lot of support from entrepreneurs in the area. “It’s been going well lately. It’s a great company and we’ve always had faith in it.”
They will hear more in six weeks. “Probably there will be an update on the matter then. But I do not immediately expect that we will be very much further. These kinds of things can take a long time, so we have to wait and see. Everything will be fine, that is my life motto, because we still have so much plan.”