“Made to order sandwiches, steaming hot coffee, a nice piece of pie or one of the many healthy and varied hot meals? They are prepared with passion by the kitchen staff à nd served with a smile on a daily basis. Their enthusiasm is contagious”, according to Anne-Sophie. So after the child carers the staff at the VUB restaurant are named as the next VUB heroes.
Head of the restaurant Philippe Merckx is delighted with the praise and underlines that he has never had to emphasize customer service. “It all comes natural to my team, they were all born customer minded.”
Merckx is not surprised however that the VUB colleagues hold the restaurant near and dear:
“Through the very nature of our activity we are very visible, which is not always the case for other departments. People come in and the food is ready. We are available every day, even when other services are not open. We cater to a very basic need, just as important as the care for children. In our restaurant there is also room for people to meet, which leads to social cohesion. And we try to cater to everyone’s needs as best as possible. Vegetarian or vegan? We’ve got it. Students that prefer more fast food or staff members looking for healthy options: there is plenty of choice every day. On top of that we have focused on sustainable food for years.”
Made to order
More than 30 people work in the restaurant and cafeteria. The freshly made approach of the cafeteria clearly also works for the VUB community. “We only prepare our fresh sandwiches after the customer orders them. That way the combinations are sheer endless. The longer wait times are an unfortunate downside you have to take in stride.”
Philippe Merckx hopes for an expansion of the restaurant and cafeteria, to better deal with the ever growing customer flow.
The final word is for colleague Anne-Sophie, who nominated the restaurant and its staff as VUB heroes: “Whether you’re old or young, tiny or tall, black or white, doesn’t a man or woman’s love pass through their stomach?”
Your hero
Who is your VUB hero? Let us know on ikhebnieuws@vub.ac.be and who knows we’ll put your hero(es) in the spotlight soon.
Thank you!