Lizzy (27) and Alex Bielsma (50) have been running Café Bok in Enkhuizen since 2020. And things are actually going really well there too, Lizzy emphasizes. Her tip: dare to change in time. “If you always keep everything the same, your target group will slowly die out. You have to move with the times.”
At Café Bok they do this very consciously. For example, by offering special beers and a full menu. With some vegetarian dishes. “If you don’t have that, a group of friends might drop out. That would be a shame.”
Overtaken image of a musty cafe
The image of a musty café, in which a few old men drink a beer at the bar, has been overtaken by reality. “We are a café where you can also eat, where the atmosphere and interaction is informal,” says Lizzy. “When I sometimes look around me, I see a mix of young and old. That makes me so happy.”
In some villages the pub is still sacred. “It is a rock of the community. There is a lot of fun, there is a lot of love, we offer a listening ear,” says Antoinet. “Many people in Wervershoof are also proud that there is still such a café.”