The new operator of Bar Pilar is Jan Meeus, a VUB alumnus and former editor-in-chief of the student magazine De Moeial. During parties he prefers to be in the kitchen, where he had to learn the tricks of the trade by doing. ‘I’m very much into the Pippi Longstocking approach: I’ve never done it before, so I think I can.’
Jan Meeus began studying at the VUB more than ten years ago. He didn’t finish his studies, but he certainly enjoyed his time as a student and hopes to return to Art Sciences one day. Or to pursue writing, for which he was practically destined as former editor-in-chief of the student magazine De Moeial. But for now: running Bar Pilar with a motivated team and, by extension, firmly putting the VUB culture house Pilar on the map.
"I feel like I’m building something that is bigger than myself"
Jan Meeus
How and when did you become the new operator of Bar Pilar?
Jan Meeus: "I was already working for the previous owner as bar manager. After he quit, we ran the bar together with Pilar’s cultural team. At first this was while waiting for a new operator that concession holder Duvel would select, but by summer it became clear that no one had been found. That’s why we decided to continue sustainably in this way.”
Running it independently doesn’t seem obvious to me in times of budget cuts. How do you manage that?
"I’m very well supported. In the beginning, a bit of a structural mistake may have been made by involving a private partner. That sometimes created conflicting interests with the cultural operation. Now I’m truly part of the Pilar team, with experts and coordinator Gijs Ieven, who support me enormously. Considering the timing with the budget cuts, it might not have been the ideal moment to embark on such an adventure, but on the other hand all the stars were aligned: the right people in the right place. If we didn’t do it now, it would never happen. And during our trial period from March to June, we were actually able to present good numbers — it pays for itself. It also fits within the climate of cutbacks that we are looking for more of our own resources so that the cultural operation can stand on its own two feet. The bar also contributes to that income, because previously the operation didn’t receive anything from drink sales. Now, it’s simply part of the whole."
Has the pricing policy changed as well?
“I’ve reduced some of the prices here and there, because I found them just a bit too expensive for an audience that structurally lacks money. It’s a difficult sector with very small margins, but for example we were able to lower the price of a pint to 2.50 euros. More are being sold now as well. And in every category we’ve provided a democratic price for those with a smaller budget: a filter coffee costs 2 euros, fresh soup with bread is 6 euros. VUB staff tend to come in for a pricier glass of wine, which is a sort of redistribution system.”
What does your team look like today?
“I’m responsible for management and the kitchen, and the student workers help me as much as possible. They had already been working here before, which is why I felt we needed to start with this new approach last year. A large part of them graduated this summer and now we have a big new group of students I’m very happy with. If we had only started from scratch now, it would have been much more difficult.”
You had to learn a lot yourself as well. How did you handle that?
“I never really saw that in myself. Gijs saw that I had it in me and I’m very grateful to him for that. I’m a bit of a Pippi Longstocking type: ‘I’ve never done it before, so I think I can do it.’ Although at the beginning I really struggled with imposter syndrome. I’d told all these serious people at the VUB that I believed it was possible, and suddenly it all actually happened. And I had never done it before, so a lot of things had to go wrong first before I realised what needed fixing.”
"We want to once again be the cultural venue where young talent gets a chance and where the VUB community and neighbourhood find a second home"
And how did you deal with that?
“In the beginning I struggled a lot in the kitchen, for example, because I didn’t really have experience there. But in the end it worked out quite well, and I’m still learning every day. Mostly by feel and with a lot of help from the students and the Pilar team. It’s a bit like a family business where everyone helps each other. And the scaling-up helps too. I’ve got my hands full with the operational side of things, so it’s great that my colleague Zoë from community & engagement organises activities in the bar. Or if I need a new door hinge, I just submit a ticket to Infra. The VUB is a lovely little village.”
Pilar is now well known within the VUB community. How about the surrounding neighbourhood?
“I think the café can play an important role in the local community. That people think of Pilar when they want to meet up, or when they have a flat tyre and need to borrow a bike pump. That’s also a difference from the previous operation: we try to fulfil that social function more. I feel like I’m building something that’s bigger than myself.”
What would you still like to achieve during your time as manager?
“We’re striving for the legendary status that Kultuurkaffee once had. It’s not easy, because after five years of closure due to construction works, there was the difficult restart during COVID. I feel that only now everything is finally falling back into place. We want to once again be the cultural venue where young talent gets a chance and where the VUB community and neighbourhood find a second home. I think we’ll get there with small steps, and we’re on the right track.”
At Pilar, activities take place almost daily, from films and concerts to creative workshops — all accompanied by tasty food and drinks. View the full programme at https://pilar.brussels.