Restaurants with a Michelin star have been in dire straits lately. One restaurant after another decides to close its doors or goes bankrupt. On Thursday it emerged that Sense, the last remaining star restaurant in Den Bosch, had been declared bankrupt. “What we see now might have happened earlier if corona had not been present,” says catering trend watcher Wouter Verkerk.
In February, the owners of Mijn Keuken in Wouw decided to close down. It became increasingly difficult to find staff and the prices of fixed costs and products actually increased. In July, WOOD Gastropub in Hilvarenbeek was declared bankrupt. This week, restaurant Sense in Den Bosch went bankrupt.
It is a trend that would probably have been visible much earlier without the corona period, Verkerk thinks. “During the corona crisis, there were support measures and entrepreneurs were allowed to pay their taxes later. This ensured that restaurants did not actually go bankrupt for three years. While normally a few things go bankrupt every month,” he explains.
Now that support is disappearing and taxes have to be paid, according to the trend watcher you see that some companies are still going under. “Shortly after the corona period, we started celebrating life en masse and eating out. But now we all feel that the economy is becoming more difficult. We all have less to spend and are more careful about eating out.”
“People no longer want to work very hard for little money.”
Restaurants in the highest segment in particular are going bankrupt, according to Verkerk. “These are often star restaurants. Guests quickly find it very expensive, especially now that prices are under pressure.” And while a Michelin star does not immediately mean that a lot of money is being raked in. “These are places where a lot of people work. Salaries must also increase there. Especially after corona, you have seen that people no longer want to work so hard for little money,” says Verkerk.
Soenil Bahadoer also sees that many businesses are having a hard time. He is chef at De Lindehof in Nuenen. That restaurant has two Michelin stars. “You have to turn every dime,” he says.
“We actually didn’t expect anything else. After corona we got off to a good start. Everyone wanted to go out for dinner. But then the moment soon came when advances from the corona period had to be repaid. Now you also have inflation. Staff is very expensive and difficult to find. Products have become much more expensive. You cannot make guests pay for all of that,” says Bahadoer.
“It’s a bad time.”
The chef says it is very sad to see that many restaurants are closing their doors. “I also know many of them, they are all lovely people who have built something up for years, work very hard and then suddenly can no longer afford it. I think that is such a shame. It is a bad time and unfortunately we are not done with it yet.”
By the way, it is not only the star restaurants that are in dire straits, according to him. “I think it’s nonsense that only star restaurants are often mentioned. The restaurant around the corner can also collapse.”
His restaurant is still going strong. But that does not alter the fact that Bahadoer is prepared for bad times. “I ensure that we continue to profile ourselves, that we continue to deliver quality and attract guests to us. I also try to do extra things outside De Lindehof to build up a buffer. Hopefully good times will come again soon.”