The Dutch restaurant industry can hope for a quick reopening

According to insiders, this is a topic that ministers will consider at the beginning of next week. Prime Minister Rutte has already hinted in recent days that he is cautiously optimistic about another step out of the lockdown, while relaxing culture, restaurants, events and the public at sporting competitions.

Behind the scenes, you can hear about the catering industry so that it is no longer a question of whether the catering industry can open, but to what time and under what conditions. There are many other options on the table. For example, there was an option this week in which cafes and restaurants are only allowed to open until 3 p.m. But another possibility is open until 8 pm. The question is also whether the opening is accompanied by mandatory seating, or whether hanging on the bar would also be an option.

Press Conference

After the weekend, the relevant ministers will make a decision in various consultations on the terms of reopening, and the next press conference will be held on Tuesday evening. The Ministry of Economic Affairs favors “reasonable” opening times, also in line with earlier times when the catering industry had to shut down towards the end of the year. The new variant with closing at 3pm so alienated there.

The operation of the support package is also taken into account in the decision-making process: a limited opening may result in catering establishments having very little money to cover their expenses, but too much to qualify for support packages.