September 15, 2021 · Wouter Verkerk
‘Are you guys angry again already?’ When ‘the hospitality industry’ is in the news, I—like probably many other people in the industry—am approached as if I personally represent the entire sector. Most people, however, do not wait for an answer to their question; they are mainly eager to have their say. Before you know it, you are having a discussion about government support (‘You’ve already received *so* much money’), about entrepreneurship (‘Isn’t entrepreneurship just about taking risks?’), but especially in recent weeks about admission tickets (‘What are you guys whining about now...’).
It is simply difficult to differentiate between guests in an industry centered on hospitality, where everyone is by definition equal. Yet, what has been in the air for a while was announced this evening: ‘We’ will have to check our guests for tickets at the door. ‘We’ have some experience; we already check identification for someone around the age of 18 when they order an alcoholic drink.
If you look at it objectively, it should be manageable. But that is precisely the problem. The people with the loudest voices in the entire discussion are not looking at it objectively. Emotions are running high. The ‘independent profession’ of hospitality entrepreneur has already been a huge plaything of regulators in recent years. Of all the tightened legislation regarding alcohol, tobacco, noise, nuisance, terraces, blurring, waste, and—especially over the past year and a half—this is the last straw.
Yes, there were indeed quite good arrangements, and a great deal has been done financially. But that does not give entrepreneurs back what was taken from them in March 2020: their freedom. Their supposed mayoralty of their own hospitality-filled municipality. The proud position of top boss in their own kingdom. You have to stay away from that. No matter how many rationally sound reasons there are to introduce access testing, it is incompatible with the way they have structured their life's work. That is an incredibly huge sacrifice you are asking of them.
Many other entrepreneurs, perhaps the majority and certainly those who together represent the largest share of the industry's turnover, take a much more rational approach to the discussion. They say they would rather scan than close. They are simply happy that all the parties and events, some of which have already been postponed three times, can finally go ahead. The convention hotels and the large (exhibition) companies set up for access control and/or registration are overjoyed. They are allowed to operate again!
The hospitality industry is about emotion, and that is something The Hague has taken far too little account of over the past year and a half. After all, the finest hospitality venues are not primarily about money, nor primarily about turnover, but above all about guests who are all equal. My first boss taught me back then: ‘Never talk to your guests at the bar about politics or each other’s wives; that is where the greatest misery comes from.’ We are facing that misery now, and we shall see how hot things get. In any case, the temperature is currently far too high.
Perhaps it is time for our trade association to let tempers cool a bit by putting down the megaphone and seeking connection. Not all hospitality businesses are the same. Not all hospitality businesses are angry, but for many entrepreneurs, the cup has now overflowed after 1.5 years of misery. That is not the fault of the government, nor of the access pass, but rather of the uncertainty and sense of injustice that has accumulated. They deserve a helping hand now, a little bit of reason. They would benefit much more from that than inflamed rage, barricades, and #Irefuse. That leads to disaster, and that is not what they kept their businesses afloat for 1.5 years for.
Column: Wouter Verkerk
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