The outdoor cafés and restaurants will open up again

From 1st June 2020 at 12.00 noon sharp, the outdoor cafés and restaurants in the city will re-open. This will be a delightful moment for many people. They will be able to enjoy a drink and have a bite to eat in a pleasant place in the city. The café and restaurant owners are eager to open their doors again. Under certain conditions, they are moreover allowed to temporarily enlarge their outdoor cafés.

Temporary rules

For the business owners it is, of course, a huge puzzle to work out. Will it all fit? The City Counsel intends to deal with requests from business owners to extend their outdoor cafés in a flexible and creative way. New, temporary rules are in place for this, which must ensure that this is done safely and that there will be enough space for pedestrians, cyclists and other traffic.

Restaurants and cafés: the rules

Inside, up to 30 visitors are allowed.
Visitors must make reservations.
Everyone must sit at a table.
A staff member asks the visitor if he/she has a cold or a fever.
In case of symptoms, the visitor must stay at home or go home.
Everybody must keep 1.5 metres distance.
People from 1 household and 2 persons at 1 table do not have to keep a distance.
The rules for the tables also apply to the bars.

Outside

On the terrace, the same distance rules apply as inside, but there is no maximum number of guests. On the terrace you are supposed to sit down, not stand.

Reservations

Reservations are required for restaurants and cafés (serving meals) if you want to go inside. Reservation is not required for the outdoor café or outdoor restaurant.

Checks

Upon arrival, the staff will ask you if you have any symptoms. If so, you cannot visit the café or restaurant. Are you with 3 or more persons? Then the staff will ask if you form one household.

Wash hands

We all have to wash our hands when we come in. The business owner provides hand gel or water and soap.

The service staff

After the check, the staff may come within 1.5 metres of the tables to take orders, serve and clear the tables.

At departure

Preferably make contactless payments. As soon as you leave, the staff must thoroughly clean the tables, chairs and menus.

Enforcement

Business owners must ensure that visitors observe the rules. If customers don't, the staff will remind them of the rules. If necessary, customers are asked to leave. If that does not work, the police will be called.

Rules in detail

These are the corona measures that Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (for the hospitality industry) has agreed with the central government. You will find them here. The guidelines (in Dutch) drawn up by the central government can be found on the website of the central government under the subtitle Horeca.