Tunify and Koek & Ei: a resounding success in Sint-Niklaas

Koek & Ei is a social restaurant in the centre of Sint-Niklaas. We spoke to manager Freya Peeters in early 2020, just as the lunch restaurant celebrated its fifth birthday. For the almost the whole of this time, Tunify has been a part of the story ...

Socially conscious employment and an honest meal

Koek & Ei is part of Groep Intro Maatwerk, a non-profit organisation that offers employment opportunities to socially vulnerable people. The staff at Koek & Ei get to know the horeca world by performing well-defined tasks in the restaurant. This way, they’re soon ready to move into the regular labour market.

Diners are welcome in Koek & Ei every workday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With almost 100 seats, the restaurant draws a highly varied crowd, from families to groups of workers from local businesses. The prices have been consciously set to conform to the market. This way, the project will not unfairly compete with any other horeca businesses in the neighbourhood.

(read further below this image)

No music or the same music over and over

Freya still remembers how music was played in the early days of the restaurant: ‘There were actually 2 scenarios. Either we popped a CD in the CD player in the morning and pressed ‘Repeat all’, which meant hearing the same few songs all day long. Or we forgot to press ‘Repeat all’. In that case—through the hustle and bustle—it often took hours before we noticed there wasn’t any music playing. We might not have realised, but our guests were very sensitive to it.’

‘Both problems were quickly solved when we discovered the Tunify music player,’ Freya continues. ‘Tunify Green, the least expensive formula, is perfect for us; it includes musical agendas that give you varied music round the clock. We usually choose the ‘Grand Café’ and ‘Oldies Café’ agendas. They have something for everyone. All our employees find their tastes represented. And that’s not an easy achievement because their ages range from 15 to 63 years.’

More variation outside the opening hours

The Tunify music player doesn’t require any attention from the team when the restaurant is open. ‘Actually, we only have to adjust the volume every now and then, depending on how busy it is,’ says Freya about this. But before and after the opening hours? The employees are free to explore the musical agendas. Freya: ‘The staff often choose something with a stronger beat. This makes cleaning up and washing the dishes a lot more enjoyable for us all.’

To finish, Freya points out one final benefit of Tunify: the music player doesn’t take up any space, helping to keep the bar orderly. ‘We usually use the Tunify app on a smartphone without a SIM card. It links up to our amplifier and our Wi-Fi network. It’s as simple as that.’

Are you looking for a warm place for lunch in Sint-Niklaas? See what’s on the menu by going to www.groepintro.be/nl/maatwerk/horeca/koek-ei.