Geert te Velde has little to complain about on Christmas Day. The Christmas brunch in his restaurant in the heart of Assen is well attended. “These are the days that you do it for as a catering entrepreneur,” he says. “We have a brunch buffet today and tomorrow and dinner in the evening. And in the shop next door we arrange music for the youth.”
As chairman of the Drenthe branch of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, Te Velde knows that things can be done differently. “The turnover is not bad, but the purchasing costs are skyrocketing,” he outlines. “That is something we have difficulty with as an industry.”
He does not accept the fact that the SP recently argued in the House of Representatives for more taxes on accommodation, among other things. “And Omtzigt previously wanted to tax the catering industry more. When I see things like this, I wonder whether people in The Hague know what is going on in the industry.”
Anyway, as a catering man, Te Velde can’t believe his luck these days. He counts on a full house every day. This is also the case at Homan in Zeegse. “We already received the first reservations for Christmas in September,” he says. “There are even people who have already booked for Easter!”
Homan tries to make it a party for his staff. “Everyone is coming tonight in their own clothes and not in work clothes. That’s great fun and they’re frolicking around here tonight. We’re really looking forward to it.”