Conversation by the water with Bart Verheijen
Roermond · Waterfront restaurant
On Thursday February 1st, just after the water of the Maas had dropped back to a normal level, I visit the beautiful Oolderhuuske marina near Roermond, where Bart and his partner Pierre run their venue.
“By using Butlaroo, I actually have more time for personal interaction with my guests.”
In an enthusiastic conversation with the setting sun in view, Bart talks at length about the ins and outs of his hospitality business.
Starting with Butlaroo during COVID
Long before COVID, he could see there would be a major shortage of skilled hospitality staff and, after the necessary research, he came across Butlaroo. Mainly inspired by what, in his eyes, you should NOT do, he decided to go 100 percent for QR ordering, to make things as clear as possible for his guests. "In Rotterdam I watched a server lose her mind because of how unclear the ordering was. I decided then and there: at least we are not going to do it that way."
Dynamic pricing and product highlighting
"Why should the same dish cost a tenner more on a Saturday than on a Wednesday? Until I realised, this is also how it works for hotel rooms and plane tickets."
Hospitality has serious challenges, and Bart wants to lean further into trends in the years ahead. He expects Butlaroo's innovations will help him do that. "I've always said: why should the same dish be a tenner more expensive on a Saturday than on a Wednesday? Until I realised, this is also how it works for hotel rooms and plane tickets, right? I don't know if hospitality is ready for it, but of course this is where we're heading. If I can set my prices for specific time slots in a really easy way, I'll definitely experiment with that and see what works for me and my guests. As long as I communicate clearly about it, a lot is still possible."
Other ideas Bart wants to push on in the short term include highlighting products in the digital menu by margin (cold dishes, but also the simpler cocktails compared to the very labour-intensive ones). "I love continuing to change things, to keep giving my guests a reason to come back for a night out. I just see that digital ordering leads to higher sales. As long as you communicate clearly with your guest, so much is still possible."
