2023-08-02 16:24:24
The rainy weeks in July ensure empty terraces at beach bars. But rain or shine, the German tourist remains a loyal customer.
Due to the wet and windy weather, there are far fewer beachgoers this summer. “The hospitality industry misses the hobbling Dutch people who take a spontaneous cup of coffee or a drink with a bitter garnish,” says Rob Baltus, North Holland regional chairman for Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN). “Germans will come.”
Niels van Alphen, owner of the Zeeuwse BomBaai Strandbar, also sees that the Dutch are more discouraged by the bad weather than the Germans. “While we have enough warm blankets on the terrace.”
But because of the wind, the terrace on the beach is no longer a pleasant place, as the staff of Beachclub O. in Noordwijk also see. “The lettuce blows off your plate here,” says the HR manager there.
Baltus emphasizes that the weather can be very different on the other side of the dunes. He is therefore not happy with the threatening weather codes from the KNMI. “Across the dunes, the weather can suddenly be beautiful.”
Ontvang meldingen bij economisch nieuws
Beach pavilion turns inwards
You used to get fries outside at the beach bar, but now there are many full-fledged restaurants that are open all year round. This is how Van Alphen sees enough guests coming in for the restaurant.
Beachclub O. is happy with the planned weddings, staff parties and family celebrations. “If you don’t have a good indoor facility, this is once more very painful,” says Baltus.
But even with an indoor restaurant, this costs a lot of money. With a little sunshine, there is just 30 percent more turnover in the drawer. Baltus: “At a large beach club you are talking regarding 20,000 euros per hour.”
If it falls from the sky, it will easily save half the income, thinks Van Alphen. Then not only will fewer drinks and bitterballen be sold, but the rental of parasols will also come to a standstill, for example.
Baltus expects entrepreneurs with indoor space to break even this year. “But that’s not why you became an entrepreneur.” Van Alphen thinks it is still too early to say how much money will be left at the end of the summer. “The busiest period, the construction industry, is yet to come.”
Evaporating extra earnings for a flexible shell
For the staff in the flexible layer, the rest is a damper for their extra income. About 60 percent of Beachclub O.’s staff are not permanently employed. Normally they can work hard in the summer. “In July they were able to work at least a third fewer hours,” says the company’s HR manager.
But the weather does not only have disadvantages, says Baltus. Bowling alleys, shops and cinemas benefit from this. Last year everyone was sunbathing on the beach, then they were sitting with their hands in their hair. “‘Women naked, trade dead’, is a flier that will not fly for these entrepreneurs this summer.”
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