November 2, 2017 · Team HG
Last June, Mr. Mofongo opened a new section featuring Mofongo’s Greenhouse and Mofongo’s Rooftop Winebar. With this expansion, it has become a balanced concept with different worlds. This addition to the culinary world tour is the work of Patrick Beijk, a creative hospitality entrepreneur who is also behind the hospitality section of Merckt, the future corner building on the Grote Markt. What can we expect from this? Horecagroningen.nl spoke with Beijk about his new, unique hospitality concepts.
There is a striking shift in the hospitality industry, where concepts have gained much more depth over the last few years. For example, more and more hospitality businesses are specializing in craft beers with a broad and exciting range, and we are also seeing more refinement and quality in the world of cocktails. We had recently already responded to these trends with Mofongo’s Distillery & Cocktail bar and on the other side The Dog’s Bollocks as a counterpart to a rougher pub with 150 types of beer.” So the logical consequence is a wine bar? “Looking at our drinks selection, the wines could definitely use more attention; we mainly sold house wines and wanted a more exciting selection. Therefore, we decided that if we wanted to handle this properly, it was time for a nice wine bar. A wine bar with a convertible roof, mind you, so we are less vulnerable in the summer. Lately, you see a remarkable growth in great wine concepts; in a vibrant city like Groningen, you see that there is sufficient market potential for a few nice wine bars.”
Last June, Mofongo’s Rooftop Winebar and Mofongo’s Greenhouse opened. A wonderful addition to the Grand café-restaurant, the cocktail bar, and the distillery. In November, they will also open a new coffee bar featuring a cool coffee roaster. This new addition ensures that Mr. Mofongo is now transforming into a 24-hour concept. Regarding this, Beijk says: “In a few weeks, we will start roasting our own single origins very early in the morning, so you can grab a delicious fresh cup very early in the morning, accompanied by a matching breakfast menu. Booz & Beans will have the atmosphere of a Southern European coffee bar. You can enjoy a coffee standing at the bar, and for those who want to work on their laptop for a bit, there is a luxurious leather sofa with plenty of power outlets.” With all the concepts mentioned, Mr. Mofongo’s guests can therefore enjoy different worlds almost 24 hours a day.
The culinary world tour continues with an extensive selection of wines. These are poured by the glass by a self-developed robotic system using the eighty-position “wine-by-the-glass” system. The robotic arms and wine cooler are positioned beneath the guests' feet, where information about the chosen wine is projected onto a transparent OLED screen.
The new kitchen in the center of the upper floor, the Greenhouse, provides guests with a variety of street food dishes and food-sharing platters from different continents until midnight.
The Chef’s Table is located in the heart of the Greenhouse and promises to be spectacular. “Often, you look at the back of the chef when you take a seat at the Chef’s Table on the ground floor. In our case, you look directly into the pans from a higher position,” says Beijk. “Once at this table, all of Mofongo’s specialties come together. Furthermore, remarkable technical innovations will soon take the experience to an even higher level, stimulating literally every sense. For example, we will be distilling together with the guests using a mini-distillery that descends fully automatically from above the table.”
Beijk speaks with passion about the global concept Mr. Mofongo. The entrepreneur will never stop his search for new ideas, technologies, and recipes, but states that the addition of the new section has created a beautifully balanced whole.
Despite the completion of this unique total concept, plans to develop new ideas are far from over. The hospitality entrepreneur is actually behind the hospitality section of the future corner building on the Grote Markt, named Merckt. As Beijk himself describes it, this Food Market will consist of three layers of experience with a variety of Food Corners and charming eateries combined with a spectacular brewery, a distillery, a coffee roastery, and, as the icing on the cake, an exciting Rooftop Bar. Beijk elaborates further on the atmosphere we should envision. “In terms of appearance, I am basically thinking of a cozy Spanish Mercado, a place where people can pick up exciting dishes and have a glass of wine, but which is also a place where you can potentially do some grocery shopping with a delicatessen-style yet affordable assortment. Beautiful fresh products with completely transparent production processes.”
We ask Beijk for more details about the brewery. “Merckt is getting its own beer brewery that is interwoven with the Foodmarkt on multiple levels. The logistical processes for this are largely fully automated and are located deep underground, at minus 2. If you look at the brewing production processes, part of the process overlaps with distilling. That is why a combination with a distillery was chosen.”
It looks spectacular in the drawings; from the mezzanine, you look down nearly 15 meters along a wall of fermentation tanks. The distillery will be suspended on a split-level between the ground floor and the basement. Additionally, coffee lovers can visit the coffee roastery, which will also be suspended between two floors. There are plenty of ideas. The exact details regarding the hospitality and Foodcorner offerings are still pending, as the demolition of the old corner building has only just been completed and they have yet to start work on the basement. Beijk does, however, indicate that they are giving extensive thought to high-quality systems regarding logistics, sustainability, and the visitor experience, and shares some more details about the schedule;
Construction of Merckt will follow shortly after the demolition. Excavation will first take nearly twelve meters to the ground to ultimately create a nine-meter-deep basement. The FoodMerckt will consist of three floors. Each floor will have its own purpose and will be connected by transparent voids. This creates an exciting whole while maintaining flexibility regarding opening hours and which zones will open; for instance, the food market can be made larger or smaller depending on how busy it is. Later in the evening, the brewery and distillery section will continue as a multi-level brewpub, at which point the Food Market will close.
Last but not least A rooftop bar with a view of the Grote Markt will be located on the top floor of the entire Merckt building. The sun will provide the roof terrace with light and warmth from morning until evening. The bar will be accessible via an elevator, and thanks to a retractable roof, guests can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Groningen in all weathers, regardless of the season.
When asked how Beijk describes his vision for maintaining success within the Groningen hospitality industry, he replies that it is important to forge your own path. “I have traveled extensively myself and gained a great many impressions in the process. That shapes you; when I develop a concept, I try to stay true to myself and look less at what other entrepreneurs in the city are doing. I don't really believe in more of the same. Do your homework well and sense what the market demands, seek out the latest trends, and dare to step outside the beaten path.”
When we ask him if Merckt is his last project, he indicates that there is secretly one more project that has been haunting his mind for more than ten years. “This one is even more creative than anything I have done, and it is not just hospitality.” A spectacular promise.
