BONNIE IS NOW AVAILABLE ON WHATSAPP
De Horeca Groep is a leading hospitality group based in Leiden, operating six distinctive restaurants across the Netherlands.
Since 1996, the group has built a reputation for innovative dining experiences and exceptional hospitality. Yet despite the unique identity of each venue, including Eetcafé Dolly, Brasserie Rumour, and Tabú, they all encountered the same operational issue: a constant stream of phone calls that often went unanswered.
When staff did pick up, they were often answering questions that didn’t need a person. Opening hours. Menus. Directions. Meanwhile, guests who genuinely needed help, group reservation enquiries in particular, struggled to get through. The result was lost revenue, frustrated guests, and floor staff constantly pulled away from service.
"The best part is that the guest gets a person on the line who can genuinely help them when they need it. For reservations, you no longer always need a staff member”.
Timo Lichtenbeld
Operations Manager | De Horeca Groep
The decision was not complicated
Despite operating different restaurant concepts, every venue had the same objectives: route every caller to the right person immediately, eliminate routine calls that didn’t require a team member, and give staff the freedom to focus on guests instead of answering the phone during service.
Setting up across 6 locations
Bonnie went live in a week. Location managers were involved directly, so each restaurant’s menus, hours, and reservation policies were reflected accurately from day one.
Each venue got its own configuration. Routine enquiries, Bonnie handles end-to-end. Reservations go straight into Formitable. Group enquiries route through MICE Operations to the right team member, with full context already attached.
The calls Bonnie handles
Across all 68 locations, Bonnie takes the calls that don’t need a person on the line. Reservations through Zenchef, new bookings, changes, cancellations. Brand- and location-specific FAQs. Group enquiries routed to the events team with the context already attached. WhatsApp follow-ups with confirmations, links, and directions. After-hours coverage, every day of the week.
When a call genuinely needs a human, Bonnie transfers it with context. When a location isn’t yet connected to Zenchef, she still helps the guest, by explaining where and how to make a reservation and sending the link directly via WhatsApp.
One week with Bonnie
In the first week, Bonnie handled 558 calls across all six restaurants. Every one answered, in any language, day or night. Of those, only 199 needed a team member.
The rest, reservations, opening hours, menus, directions, Bonnie resolved end-to-end. 72 reservations went straight into Formitable, already confirmed before anyone on the team touched them.
One in five calls came outside opening hours. At Eetcafé Dolly, Brasserie Rumour, and Tabú, more than a quarter of all calls now come in before the doors open. Those are the calls a closed restaurant would otherwise miss entirely.
The moment it clicked
For De Horeca Groep, Bonnie didn’t replace the human touch. It protected it.
Routine questions are answered instantly. Reservations are booked automatically. Guests with more complex requests reach the right person, with the right context, from the start. Meanwhile, restaurant teams can stay focused where they’re needed most: on the guests in front of them.
The phone still rings. The difference is that it no longer interrupts service.
