Infoversum becomes a restaurant and conference center

Bos & Bos Catering from Groningen has purchased the Infoversum for 450,000 euros. The new owners, Renske and John Bos, plan to convert the prestigious building into a restaurant and conference center and hope to open on October 1, 2016.

The catering company had been in charge of the hospitality services from the very start of the theater and therefore remained involved with and interested in the building.

New plans
On the ground floor, there will be a restaurant with 150 seats, and a kitchen needs to be built. The 260 luxury cinema seats in the upper hall will be removed, and the sloping floor will be leveled to accommodate tables and chairs for conferences, parties, and events. Outside, there will be a large terrace facing the already new city beach, with space for 350 guests.

The kitchen will make room for, among other things, two charcoal-fired Green Eggs, on which many organic grilled dishes will be prepared. In addition to plans for fish dishes and charcuterie boards, the kitchen will also focus on vegetarian dishes. As Dagblad van het Noorden describes it: ‘urban street food’ in a vintage setting.

The technology of the 3D dome theater will certainly be used again for parties, events, conferences, and meetings.

The new name for the establishment is not yet known. "It needs to be a trendy name, preferably international," says Renske Bos. "Maybe we should offer a dinner voucher for the best name."

In the new restaurant, Sanne Ennik will be the manager and Dennis Klompsma (formerly employed at Muller, de Vlindertuin, and Bij Jaap) the head chef. Additionally, there will be four permanent employees and forty on-call workers.

Bankruptcy
The theater, which went bankrupt in November 2015, cost €9.2 million at its opening a year and a half ago. Financial problems soon arose for the Infoversum; in the first year, 40,000 visitors flocked to the dome theater, while 260,000 were expected. In addition, debts piled up, and parties such as Rabobank, the Municipality of Groningen, Rottinghuis, Centraal Staal, and a number of other smaller investors had to watch as the remarkable building closed its doors.

Leasehold land
The building in Groningen's Ebbingekwartier has limited potential for use because it stands on leasehold land. In just over nine years, the building must be moved, as agreed with the municipality. John Bos is not worried about this; according to him, the entrepreneurial risk remains, and there is certainly a chance that the new use will be successful and fit in with the surroundings. "Then it will surely be open for discussion."

Bos & Bos Catering
In addition to their catering business, Renske and John Bos are known as the hospitality operators at the Drents Museum, the TT Hall Assen, Bites & Flights Groningen Airport Eelde, and in the city of Groningen, the restaurant of the Groninger Museum, the Groninger Forum. Paviljoen Sterrebos and House of the Stock Exchange.

In a draft plan sent to the Municipality of Groningen on Friday, formulates Bos&Bos Catering it as follows: ‘a multifunctional location in which the functions of theater, restaurant, conference venue, educational center, and meeting place can be summarized.’ The new owners, also nominated for the Groningen Entrepreneurship Award 2016, have indicated to the municipality that they will gladly take care of the temporary city beach.

Via Dagblad van het Noorden
Photo: Facebook Infoversum