There will definitely be no catering business returning to the recently closed Grand Café ‘t Wapen in Assen. The restaurant area, which closed in mid-July, will be converted into office space. Owner Jannes Janssens has applied for a permit for this from the municipality of Assen.
Real estate boss Janssens thinks it is a shame that the building is now being lost to the catering industry. But according to him, this is due to all the problems that catering companies face. “The sector is going through tough times. The catering industry is coming out of the difficult corona years, they are facing hefty price increases and high energy costs, and there are still too few staff. You have to make it all work,” says Janssens.
Although Janssens would have preferred to keep the building as a catering destination, “because it fits ‘t Wapen in terms of history”, he is happy that a new reliable tenant has been found in Comfort bv, a company in personnel and payroll administration. It is now located just further down Collardslaan, in another building owned by the real estate boss.
“There was simply no interest in this location, to continue with a restaurant. And I understand that. Because there are already a lot of catering establishments in the city center, and moreover, this place, with the busy Collardslaan in between, is still somewhat decentralized compared to the other bars and restaurants in the Asser center. The only interested party from the industry who registered wanted to start an exclusive club. But that didn’t seem like a good fit for Assen.”
The ground floor is now being converted into office space for the administration company. Janssens expects this to take effect from the beginning of next year. “Most of the catering facilities have already been removed, but the bar remains. And the appearance of the ground floor, with the curtains inside and outside the awnings, will also be kept intact by the new tenant,” says Janssens.
With the arrival of Comfort BV in ‘t Wapen, the renewed catering adventure for the striking building is now a thing of the past after five years. ‘t Wapen van Drenthe, which dates from 1780, was once a renowned lodging for high-ranking gentlemen from the region. After years of neglect, Janssens bought it at auction and renovated it for more than a million. In 2018, catering entrepreneur Ronald Obbes opened a grand café on the ground floor, with room rental on the upper floors.
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