NLFrom the Season: Ode to our Friends, BistroBar Indonesia
This is the third edition of the “Ode to our Friends.” In it, following the news that the hospitality industry remains closed even longer, we want to share the experiences of our customers and friends with each other. This time:
BistroBar Indonesia
We had a telephone interview with Donny van Norde, head chef of BistroBar Indonesia. Ron Blaauw & Agus Herawan are the in-house advisors, but Donny and his team have a completely unique identity; Modern Indonesian Cuisine with a strong dash of Rock ’n Roll! All dishes are distinctive, daring, and always full of flavor. 
What have you all been doing since March 15?
We immediately gathered as a team on Monday to discuss our possibilities. Thanks to my experiences from my parents’ toko, I knew what was needed to prepare our restaurant for take-away and home delivery. This allowed us to start as early as Friday.
How do you manage home delivery/take-away?
We have created a selection of our most delicious dishes and snacks for home. Indonesian dishes lend themselves excellently to this. The dishes are easy for the kitchen staff to prepare, and the quality is well guaranteed. Take-away or delivery is available from Wednesday through Sunday between 16:00 and 20:00, so we are open on fewer days.
How do your guests respond?
Orders are placed regularly and our guests are very satisfied. We also see via the ordering system that we are attracting new customers; people sometimes want something different. In the beginning, customers could order directly via WhatsApp and we received photos with compliments in return. Now we work with another ordering system and receive positive feedback via Instagram or Facebook.
How do you experience our collaboration?
We didn’t know how many orders to expect, so it was initially difficult to estimate what we needed. Since Driessen Food delivers 3 days a week and we need to order on time, it took a bit of adjustment. That makes everyone rethink, but with the new experiences and knowledge, everything now runs smoothly.
What is your view on the 1.5 meter economy?
Very challenging. We have a large restaurant and when it is only half full, we feel that the guests have a less enjoyable evening. In addition, it is complicated in terms of staff allocation, as everyone’s health is paramount and costs must also be considered. We prefer to open only when everything is safe enough and are currently focusing on take-away/delivery. We’ll just have to wait and see….
Advice and/or tips?
Do what you do best and stay true to yourself! The Indonesian cuisine lends itself well to take-away, and that is our advantage. In addition, we are also trying to innovate: with the nice weather, the BBQ is coming out more often, and we can offer a BBQ package in Indonesian style. Guests are responding enthusiastically to this, and that makes it fun!
