Many restaurant owners assume that they will be able to open their doors again in the next week. This is the tenor following the advice of the Outbreak Management Team to reopen the catering industry until eight o’clock in the evening. They are already preparing for this in the catering village Oisterwijk.
The tables of restaurant Vuur & Vlam aan de Lind are still uncovered and empty. But owner Gijs Verkuijl hopes that he will get the green light on Tuesday to open again. “I can’t wait to see Ton, Meta, Aad and the rest sit down and light the fireplace again,” he dreams out loud.
But there are still a few things that need to be done before the restaurant can reopen. That is why Verkuijl is already filling in order lists at the catering wholesaler. “If we can go loose, we’ll need some stuff. We still have quite a bit at home, but not the fresh products.”
However, he does not place the final order yet. Before that, Verkuijl first wants to hear from the cabinet that he can open again. “I can’t afford to let everything come in on the gamble and then have to give it away or toss it again.”
Many other restaurants and cafes in Oisterwijk are also preparing for a ‘restart’. At restaurant Sec, new menus are even being devised. “We recently had takeout meals, so we have a few things in stock,” says owner Niels Janse. “But for à la carte you need a little more. It is time for new dishes and garnishes. We are absolutely looking forward to the reopening.”
A few doors down, at the ‘t Gelagh tasting room, the mood is less positive. “It doesn’t make me happy, let me put it this way,” says owner Toon Coppens. Most guests don’t come to his brown café until later in the evening, because they mainly serve beer and whiskey. “The majority of my turnover comes from the evenings. People often come for a drink after work, around half past eight.” Coppens therefore hopes that the cabinet will allow the catering industry to open until ten or twelve o’clock.
The restaurant owners sympathize with him. Verkuijl explains: “It is important to also offer the wet catering industry perspective. It’s really nice if everything can open again until eight o’clock, but then far too many colleagues are left out. I know few cafes that open profitably until eight o’clock. So giving them perspective becomes very important.”
Verkuijl naturally hopes that he will soon be able to receive guests in his restaurant again. But he doesn’t hope that it will be from Wednesday. “Being allowed to open very suddenly is just as annoying as having to close very suddenly. We must be able to prepare ourselves and have all products delivered. Many colleagues and I are now filling in the order lists. But whether the wholesaler will also be able to deliver all of this on time is still exciting, but I’m looking forward to it, my catering heart beats faster and faster.”
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