Catering entrepreneurs in Amsterdam are also planning to open their business on January 17, even if they are breaking the law. They no longer want to wait for the government to relax corona measures.
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Earlier this week, fifty regions announced to join the action, but the Amsterdam department of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland advised against this.
“It’s either the 4,000 euro fine or the bankruptcy of my business,” says Daan Kroone of Cavataria in South. ‘I think it is difficult to make a statement for an entire city as diverse as Amsterdam that everyone does not support this. I think I have to offer a perspective for my company and for my people. ‘
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Ron Klein of Grand Café ‘t Plein in Noord also thinks that way. ‘Measurements are made with two measures. 10,000 people walk in Efteling and stand in line at 1 meter distance, 2,000 people walk in Ikea, 300 people walk in Albert Heijn and 4,000 people walk in the shopping center on Black Friday. What kind of answer do I have to give? It’s crooked. ‘
According to them, the support that the entrepreneurs receive from the government is not enough to cover all costs. And also the pick-up of drinks provides little extra turnover. ‘The Dutch population shows that if you cut it off in one place, it will become busier in another’, Kroone analyzes. ‘I think it is good that people disperse, that people do not pile up.’
Protest Museumplein
There are now also plans for a protest on the Museumplein before 17 January to demonstrate against the policy. There are noises from the cabinet that there will be extra support for the catering industry, but that does not prevent Kroone from opening the case halfway through next month. The municipality has announced that it will soon discuss the promotion with Koninklijke Horeca Nederland.
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