“Fortunately things are a little clearer now and we’ve focused Maris Piper on takeaway and delivery services. We also started a snackbar and The Noodle Shop on the restaurant doorstep. The Noodle Shop is a concept that we would have opened in the Foodhallen in Amsterdam.”
“I’m afraid it’ll be all hands on deck to get out of this in one piece soon enough. We move too fast sometimes and I realize that now more than ever. We decided to abandon a few things which might have killed us down the line. Taking it easy can pay off. Even if I struggle with it. I always want to keep going.”
Co-owner of the Breda Group, which owns multiple restaurants in Amsterdam, including Breda and Maris Piper
“Right before the forced closure me and my business partners were in South Africa, completely unaware. We only just got back to the Netherlands when we had to close all our doors. We didn’t see it coming. We saw many restaurants pivot to delivery, but due to a lack of information we weren’t sure what to do. We came up with at least ten different concepts and ideas, but the uncertainty made none of them go anywhere.”
“When we heard that a couple of our staff were feeling ill, we decided to stop trying new ideas and go into quarantine. There I was, at home with more time than I knew what to do with, so I dove into my record collection. I can spend hours digging around for vinyl to play when the opportunity arises.”
Co-owner and restaurantmanager at restaurant Entrepot in Amsterdam
“Unlike many other entrepreneurs in Amsterdam we decided not to pivot to delivery after the lockdown, and temporarily close our doors. We use this time to analyze our current business. We’re taking a moment to reflect on what we’re doing and how we want to move forward. When we were going full steam ahead before we had barely any time to do that.”
“We’re looking at our food and beverage offerings for example, and how we can improve our selection of spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages. But we’re also looking at our pricing and the way our menu is put together: is the way we have it now ideal? While we haven’t decided on exactly what, we know we’re going to change things to better match our vision on the future of our restaurant as we see it.”
“Depending on how we’re allowed to run our business when we reopen, I’m going to prioritise my time differently. It’s like they always say: you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Being with my friends and family, just enjoying the time we have together, going out to eat, stuff like that.”
Chef and co-owner at restaurant Zoldering in Amsterdam
“When we opened Zoldering in 2019 we made a flying start, but that has meant we’ve been through a very hectic time. Now that the restaurant is closed I’m spending a lot of time with my wife and eleven month old daughter. I didn’t get to see them much in all the chaos of owning a restaurant. But that’s not all I’m doing. I’m developing new dishes, and have started baking bread. I’m from a family of bakers. My grandfather had his own bakery, which my uncle has since taken over. I’m having a ton of fun with it. It’s very interesting to see how you can create so much flavor and so many different textures with such simple ingredients.”
“Shortly before the forced closure I attended a two day masterclass in boulangerie where I picked up the basics of traditional French baking. Purely out of interest for the profession and love of food. Now is the perfect time to master my new art. At the moment it’s really more of a hobby rather than intended for use on the restaurant. At Zoldering we don’t really have the time and space for it. But never say never.”
A portrait of foodservice entrepreneurs in Amsterdam during COVID-19
Chantal Arnts Xiao Er Kong
When one door closes another one opens. Aside from the chaos and uncertainty the lockdown during this pandemic gives foodservice entrepreneurs one thing they never had enough of: time. Where one uses the time to start a meal delivery service, another uses it to learn new skills, pick up new hobbies, or spend time with their family. A portrait of foodservice entrepreneurs in Amsterdam during times of COVID-19.
INTERVIEW
4 min
WHERE ONE DOOR CLOSES
“Fortunately things are a little clearer now and we’ve focused Maris Piper on takeaway and delivery services. We also started a snackbar and The Noodle Shop on the restaurant doorstep. The Noodle Shop is a concept that we would have opened in the Foodhallen in Amsterdam.”
“I’m afraid it’ll be all hands on deck to get out of this in one piece soon enough. We move too fast sometimes and I realize that now more than ever. We decided to abandon a few things which might have killed us down the line. Taking it easy can pay off. Even if I struggle with it. I always want to keep going.”
Co-owner of the Breda Group, which owns multiple restaurants in Amsterdam, including Breda and Maris Piper
“Right before the forced closure me and my business partners were in South Africa, completely unaware. We only just got back to the Netherlands when we had to close all our doors. We didn’t see it coming. We saw many restaurants pivot to delivery, but due to a lack of information we weren’t sure what to do. We came up with at least ten different concepts and ideas, but the uncertainty made none of them go anywhere.”
“When we heard that a couple of our staff were feeling ill, we decided to stop trying new ideas and go into quarantine. There I was, at home with more time than I knew what to do with, so I dove into my record collection. I can spend hours digging around for vinyl to play when the opportunity arises.”
“Depending on how we’re allowed to run our business when we reopen, I’m going to prioritise my time differently. It’s like they always say: you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Being with my friends and family, just enjoying the time we have together, going out to eat, stuff like that.”
Chef and co-owner at restaurant Zoldering in Amsterdam
“When we opened Zoldering in 2019 we made a flying start, but that has meant we’ve been through a very hectic time. Now that the restaurant is closed I’m spending a lot of time with my wife and eleven month old daughter. I didn’t get to see them much in all the chaos of owning a restaurant. But that’s not all I’m doing. I’m developing new dishes, and have started baking bread. I’m from a family of bakers. My grandfather had his own bakery, which my uncle has since taken over. I’m having a ton of fun with it. It’s very interesting to see how you can create so much flavor and so many different textures with such simple ingredients.”
“Shortly before the forced closure I attended a two day masterclass in boulangerie where I picked up the basics of traditional French baking. Purely out of interest for the profession and love of food. Now is the perfect time to master my new art. At the moment it’s really more of a hobby rather than intended for use on the restaurant. At Zoldering we don’t really have the time and space for it. But never say never.”
A portrait of foodservice entrepreneurs in Amsterdam during corona times
“Unlike many other entrepreneurs in Amsterdam we decided not to pivot to delivery after the lockdown, and temporarily close our doors. We use this time to analyze our current business. We’re taking a moment to reflect on what we’re doing and how we want to move forward. When we were going full steam ahead before we had barely any time to do that.”
“We’re looking at our food and beverage offerings for example, and how we can improve our selection of spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages. But we’re also looking at our pricing and the way our menu is put together: is the way we have it now ideal? While we haven’t decided on exactly what, we know we’re going to change things to better match our vision on the future of our restaurant as we see it.”
Co-owner and restaurantmanager at restaurant Entrepot in Amsterdam
Chantal Arnts Xiao Er Kong
When one door closes another one opens. Aside from the chaos and uncertainty the lockdown during this pandemic gives foodservice entrepreneurs one thing they never had enough of: time. Where one uses the time to start a meal delivery service, another uses it to learn new skills, pick up new hobbies, or spend time with their family. A portrait of foodservice entrepreneurs in Amsterdam during times of COVID-19.
4 min