René Pluijm: Serious pleasure as a driving force

TV chef René Pluijm is a jack of all trades

TV chef, culinary adventurer, theatre artist and hospitality consultant. René Pluijm is at home on many markets. So too in the hotel industry where he works as a consultant. His advice: with a high-quality breakfast and local food treasures on your menu, you get more turnover from your food & beverage.

'Where does our food come from?' That question is always on René Pluijm's mind. In his TV programmes 'Pluijm op pad' and 'Pluijms Eetbare Wereld', he was a 'food seeker' on the hunt for 'local food treasures'. In other words: regional products that make you stand out as a chef. 

Pluijm speaks from experience. He has more than earned his culinary spurs. He worked in (hotel) kitchens such as De Hoefslag in Bosch en Duin, Hotel Arena, De Jaren in Amsterdam and ran a restaurant on the island of Roatan (Honduras).

His culinary wanderings cannot be followed on TV for a while, but can be followed via his social media channels. He is also performing with his theatre show 'What are we eating today?' In it, he talks about our eating behaviour and its impact on our planet.

Professionals as lubricant

He cooks, sings and tells stories. For example, about his travels. "In the process, I like to meet fellow professionals who quietly do something good. Like the women in the Alentejo who collect shells on the beach. These professionals are the lubricant of our society. I want to give them the respect they deserve." 

In doing so, what is his motivation? "Serious pleasure; I want to inspire people to think differently about their eating behaviour." This applies not only to consumers but also to hospitality professionals. For instance, Pluijm has just completed a project as food & beverage consultant at the Met hotel in Amsterdam-West. A beautiful hotel located in a neighbourhood with 'block boxes' and therefore not immediately top of mind with tourists and locals.

Pluijm was therefore tasked with developing a new menu concept and training the kitchen and service team. "It all starts with setting up a good, internal communication structure," he says. Then it was brainstorming, trial cooking and calculation. The end result is a menu concept with 'Go Dutch' as part of menu offerings. "The menu includes typical Amsterdam products such as a Holtkamp croquette and Kesbeke pickles. That's ordinary food for us, but not for foreign tourists."

Missed opportunity

In addition, breakfast offerings got a boost. "In many hotels, breakfast is 'average': with overcooked eggs, orange juice from a packet and bad croissants." This is a missed opportunity, according to Pluijm. "Besides a good bed and a nice shower, breakfast is the most important meal. It is representative of everything you offer through your f & b."

The trick, therefore, is to use a nice breakfast offer to trigger your hotel guests to stay for dinner at the restaurant at least one evening. "Compose breakfast with local food treasures such as jams, meat, fruit and cheese from the region and freshly baked local bread."

Active promotion also helps. "When checking in, have your front office promote the chefs menu and offer to reserve a table in advance. Put menus in the room. If one in 10 guests stays for dinner, you'll have ten per cent more turnover in no time."

New approach works

At the Amsterdam hotel, the new approach has paid off. Half of the breakfast guests visit the restaurant. Locals too now know how to find the hotel. Partly thanks to events such as a USA BBQ and a cocktail night. In addition, packages for business meetings combined with fine dining and a bicycle tour of Amsterdam have been launched.

Meanwhile, Pluijm has already started his next assignment. This time he is training the kitchen brigade of Ngala Lodge in Gambia. Before he left, we meet him at the Gastvrij Rotterdam trade fair where he is cooking with guinea fowl. As said, René Pluijm is at home in all markets.