The La Place restaurant formula is not only one of the best-known, but also one of the most successful in the Netherlands. Adriaanse: "The core of the concept is that food is literally prepared before your eyes. And the emphasis is on fresh and healthy, and we are profiling ourselves as being more and more sustainable. The goal is naturally to position something like this so that it's more appealing to eat at our places than at a competitor's. Creating something beautiful is not so difficult, Developing something that works and feels right, and meets the user requirements is much more tricky. That is a challenge with which the designers of other big brands also wrestle every day".
Keep on renewing
Adriaanse and his colleagues work continuously on the La Place concept. Inspiration is found by visiting other restaurant formulas abroad. That recently led to the opening of the flagship store in a historic building in the heart of Amsterdam. The former V&D building is large, light-filled, and has three stories. The ground-floor restaurant is a colourful marketplace, and there's room for more than 400 guests on the first floor. In a world city like Amsterdam, you naturally have to offer something extra. The Roof Garden Café has become a real eye-catcher, with lots of greenery. There is a professional barista at work, and guests can get away from the hectic inner city for a while.
Collaboration
Since La Place has become part of Jumbo, the existing branches have been given a makeover, and new branches have opened. Inspirium has been able to contribute to the restyling of La Place and the gem on the Rokin. Adriaanse: "In recent years, I've regularly visited Inspirium to get a good picture within a half-day of what the look and feel of our concept should be. We were already a client of Satelliet, and we found Utilicht and Hydrozorg through Inspirium. It's pleasant working with people who understand you, who know what's needed. Inspirium's advantage is that they have a great deal of expertise and enthusiasm, as well as examples to hand that give a good picture". Adriaanse sums up: "During such an inspiration visit, you sometimes come across something amazing that you can't use right away, but which does make you think. The real tree taking a prominent place on the Roof Garden Café in Amsterdam might never have been there otherwise.