Visit to the first restaurant of Foodmaker and Delhaize in Brussels
A few days ago, Foodmaker and Delhaize opened their first joint restaurant in the centre of Brussels. Both players have a similar mission: to make healthy food accessible to everyone. It is in this context that the groups have decided to open outlets together. A dozen or so openings are planned over the next two years.
Rather than rewriting or doing the copy/paste move of the press release, I decided to visit this new restaurant to share you My 20/CENT.
A Foodmaker look and feel
Even though Delhaize is the main franchisee, this new restaurant is in the colours of Foodmaker. The Foodmaker model will be used for future openings as well.
The concept itself is very urban and on the go. To make it greener, it was chosen to insert a lot of plants to create an urban jungle feeling. In itself, the restaurant is not very warm but not cold either. In any case it is very functional.
Transparency
One element that stands out is the transparency. In several places, you can find: information about the origins of the products, the healthy side is communicated, the commitment to the use of local and organic ingredients is reaffirmed...
There is also a window that allows you to see the preparation area behind the scenes. This is always reassuring for visitors.
Conscious choices
Of course, the offer is complete and there is something for everyone, including vegetarians and vegans. But there are other elements that show that the concept is conscious. For example, I can mention the collaboration with Too Good To Go and Les Banques Alimentaires to fight against waste.
But in addition, to reduce the ecological footprint of the restaurant's activity, it is possible to find plates that can be eaten and many containers that are recyclable or compostable.
Breakfast, quick lunch, or on the go...
The restaurant fits well in the city (even if there is no bicycle parking in front of the entrance), and certainly in a location close to many offices as it is the case in Rogier. However, the restaurant will probably only attract customers for a quick breakfast, lunch or coffee break. I don't see anyone sitting there with a laptop for long. There are no electrical or USB sockets for charging electronic devices. In a way, it’s not what one might expect in an urban setting, but this is not the point, and it's not bad either. The concept has a simple mission, to offer healthy food, not to be a working station with snacks.
Perhaps, one last interesting element to note is that loyalty cards have been designed to reward loyal customers.
My 20/CENT
At first glance, I miss the touch of collaboration. It is clear that the concept is Foodmaker and the franchise is Delhaize. But the untrained eye will only see the Foodmaker side. Perhaps in the future the brands could work together on the assortments, the purchasing or even the look and feel. It lacks the lion's touch.
However, on the whole the concept is quite nice and fulfils its function and main mission well. In short, it's a restaurant where healthy and quick food is available, and nothing more is needed.
Last but not least, I won’t forget to mention the service is done with a smile.
FoodmakerDelhaizeFranchiseRetailFoodOn The Go