Nationally and internationally, the Blonde Pater has often been highly regarded at various championships. The Barista Championships, the most delicious sandwich of the Netherlands, the Nijmegen Terrace Prize and in September 2015 the 1st place in the Misset Koffie Top 100. The cosy, approachable atmosphere and the quality ensure that Café de Blonde Pater is packed every day.

Quality is in everything

"Quality is in several things," says Nicky. "Quality is in the speed, in the people who work there, in all the materials that are used and in the products. It is always a search for the best quality at an attractive price". Café De Blonde Pater is constantly improving and innovating. This is also one of the reasons why Café De Blonde Pater opted for Sit & Heat instead of traditional patio heaters. The three heaters that were hanging there are now gone. A nice saving of about €3,000 a year!

"Warm buttocks....GAAAAF!"   

Heaters are often left on unnecessarily

"Our business is often full inside. The terrace is then a logical extension, but it does require good heating in winter. We used to have heaters burning outside to attract people to the terrace. A huge waste of energy and, of course, a great shame. Now, only the guests at Café De Blonde Pater are heated and not the empty spaces around them. "The reactions of the guests are fantastic of course. The other day when I told someone inside about the warm buttocks, she said; no way! GAAAAF! Yes, people find that superdeluxe of course".      

Johannes owns pancake house De Duivelsberg. He preserves the rich history of the business and the nature reserve in various ways. "Come, I'll show you," Johannes exclaims enthusiastically. Using a photo wallpaper, he tells about De Duivelsberg; about how the area was originally German territory, about the only area held by the Netherlands after World War II, how the Forestry Commission became the owner in 1963 and about the start of the current pancake restaurant under his parents' leadership.

Relaxation mode

Johannes himself also grew up in the wooded surroundings of De Duivelsberg. In 1988, Johannes became co-owner of the pancake house. After a few years, he felt like a new challenge and started an establishment in the centre of Nijmegen together with his parents. His sister joins the company, but after a few years they split up anyway. Johannes will focus entirely on De Duivelsberg after all. "That's where my roots are. That has to do with the style. I feel that people come here more in the relaxation mode".

"I like to handle our raw materials sustainably"

Renew with the same experience

Since Johannes regained sole focus on pancake house De Duivelsberg, he has always been busy with various expansions. "The conservatory, the kitchen, the new parasols and, for example, the Sit & Heat cushions," Johannes says. "I am often told that nothing has changed here, when in fact all sorts of things have changed! The experience we apparently give guests remains the same. I like that," says Johannes. "In the afternoon, I often go for a half-hour walk with the dogs. That's a moment of reflection, where I take pen and paper with me and on my return have my 'to do' list ready again". 

Nice addition to hospitality

"One of the reasons why I chose Sit & Heat is that I like to be sustainable with the resources we have," says Johannes. Understandable too, given the beautiful wooded area he sits in. "For example, I also work with regional products. Because products from the region are a lot fresher; fewer intermediate links, less waste and less transport." "Sit & Heat is a nice addition to hospitality within the hospitality industry. You engage people to the product, you talk about it and then ask about their experience with it. They like that"!

"People should come here for the cosiness of the old days," says Kees, owner Bistro Tante Pietje in Den Bosch. "We are 15 years later still in the same atmosphere as 15 years ago, yet with many new elements. I take it as a compliment that people say we are renewing, when in fact they don't really know what has changed. The experience remains the same, which is nice".

Hospitality

In 2002, Kees took over Bistro Tante Pietje and thus started his first own business. "In the beginning, I never wanted to miss a day," says Kees. "As a result, I became the face of the business". Meanwhile, Kees is also co-owner of two other catering businesses. At these businesses, Kees has been given a different role, behind the scenes. Unlike at Bistro Tante Pietje, there he is still on the shop floor almost every day himself. "I continue to enjoy being a host, which I do with love and pleasure. I don't see that as work, no matter how long the evening lasts," Kees says.

Gunfactor

"I think everything together makes Bistro Tante Pietje special in Den Bosch," says Kees. "When you come here and you eat well, you have nice service at the table, you find the atmosphere cosy and it buzzes nicely... then I think you come back. All those factors have to be right. The other day I received messages from several people saying that the best advertisement for Tante Pietje had just been made. Gerard Joling told me during his performance in the Brabanthallen that he always eats so well at Tante Pietje in Den Bosch. That's bold. That's all to do with gifting".

Sit-and-Heat heating pads terrace-1

Sit-and-Heat heating pads terrace-1

"My ideal was always to have a business with an informal atmosphere. A place where you can eat well, drink good wine and get good service," says Elroy, owner of Bistro Flores. "It's a place where people are taken out of their daily lives for a while. So that they say they feel like they're on holiday. I find that a wonderful compliment".

The beginning

"After I completed the event management course in Utrecht, I had an office job. Nothing for me, I had to have hectic in my life", says Elroy. "That I have now found. The combination of business and hospitality, striving for people to have a nice evening and the rush out of it ... That's nice"!

"The cushions have a huge 'wow' effect!

The courtyard garden

Since the first of April, Bistro Flores has had a roof over its popular courtyard garden. "The roof allows me to offer more quality and more space. Bistro Flores is known for being a place where you can sit comfortably, even if you have to wait a while for a table. The Sit & Heat cushions make a modest contribution to this. 

A Wow effect

Elroy does not have the Sit & Heat cushions on the chairs as standard. He uses them at times when people are cold. For example, when the front door opens and closes. "I do not tell them beforehand that they are getting warm, but then say: 'just wait, I'll try something'. Then people are pleasantly surprised. The cushions have an enormous 'wow' effect"!