Life, but even more beautiful
Brut is life, but even more beautiful. With these words you enter Brut 172, restaurant, taste and sense experience in Reijmerstok, in the middle of the South Limburg Mergelland region. On the website you read: "Here you will find what you do not expect. You step into another world. A world where taste, smell, image and sound fight for precedence. Which surprises, overwhelms and overpowers. Where with every bite or sip you come closer to the core of who you are yourself." This creative and innovative concept comes from the inspiring quiver of Hans van Wolde, chef and owner of Brut 172. He looks back on the start of his company and looks ahead to the future.
A project of
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Hans about Brut
"The past few years have been very challenging. Not only have I learned a lot in this myself, my team has also developed and grown tremendously. Our start was tough, to say the least. We had barely celebrated our opening when the corona crisis forced us to close the doors again ..."
We decided to keep everyone
"During the corona crisis, we very consciously chose to keep our staff. At the time, it seemed more financially prudent to lay people off, but in retrospect, sticking with the staff definitely turned out to be the right choice. Our core team still stands like a house. Precisely because of this turbulent start, we have built up a lot of trust back and forth. That is something we are benefiting from now. Sometimes you just have to hang in there."
Less or just more?
At the same time, it is just as important to also dare to take a step back, Hans believes. "For example, at one point we decided to drop lunch on Mondays, so the staff is basically free on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. We then start the week again on Wednesdays with dinner. This gives employees more opportunity to enjoy their time off. As a result? Our people reappear at work better rested and motivated. These are also strategic choices."
Hans adds, "We pay a lot of attention to a good work-life balance anyway. Because people make the company. I can think of it, but it's about the people who understand it, feel it and can and want to execute it together."
Liof & Brut
LIOF saw the potential in Brut
LIOF also understood the concept, sensed its success and decided to invest in Brut together with Rabobank. This made the start-up and early years financially feasible for the entrepreneurs.
Still a great moment
"By now things are going well," Hans says. He remains modest, because actually things are going very well ... "On most nights there is no more room until a year in advance. So despite the difficult beginning, we have become quite successful. Of course you hope so - and you have a certain vision you strongly believe in and go 100% for for a reason - but when it becomes a reality, it's still a great moment."
“We offer people an experience. Which we ourselves enjoy working on every day!”
Together with the new generation
Brut is an experience. That is evident in everything. An experience that Hans not only very much likes to share with his visitors, but also with the next generation. He does that, for example, with the Brut Academy. "We are working hard on that now. So that we can include young people within our concept, train them and move them forward. I believe that food culture is constantly evolving. That also means that we would like to see a new generation take the lead in this. A generation that stands for quality, but that also knows how to enjoy the now, the moment."
Living, living and working
Attention to the environment is just as important to Hans. "For the environment in which we live and work. That's what we need. So we regularly evaluate the path we are taking. Both with our core team and the rest of the people around us. When necessary, we are open to change. And I don't just mean changes in the menu, but also a new look at welcoming guests, for example, or the decoration of the premises or our gardens. All of this together adds to the experience."
Make life itself even more beautiful
Tips for other entrepreneurs? Hans certainly has them! "Stay curious and keep looking around you. Get inspiration that way, but always stick to your own plan. Stay true to yourself and never forget where you came from. In addition, try to gather and keep the right people around you. Live life and thus make it even more beautiful yourself!"
With the
look ahead
What was your outlook when you started Brut?
"Our main goal was to make guests feel like they are on vacation for a while, so to speak. By offering them a special, unforgettable experience. And by doing everything possible to make this a reality, down to the smallest detail. We still want that. Everything has to be right: the most delicious food and drinks, great sleep, an inspiring and soothing interior. But also the right scents, right music and the best staff."
What is your look ahead now?
"In 5 years, we hope that the hotel with brasserie across from Brut will be in full operation. That the fields and gardens around Brut and Brut Ensuite fit completely within the concept. That the Brut Academy we're working on now stands like a house. So that we can train and advance young people. And, of course, that guests still know how to find us. And above all: that we still have a lot of fun together."
