WTC WestCord Hotel

My name is Cindy van Es and I'm 53 years old. Currently, I work at Restaurant Elevé, located on the 11th floor of the WTC WestCord Hotel in Leeuwarden. Before working here, I was employed at the neighboring company Expo. Back then, before WestCord Hotels took over the catering, I was in charge of lunch activities at Expo. When WestCord Hotels took over the catering, I was fortunate enough to move with them, about 6 years ago now.

My workdays always follow the same pattern. I start in the morning by collecting the cash register and then I proceed to prepare for lunch. My shifts always end at 5:00 PM, after which my other colleagues take over my tasks. What I enjoy most about my work is getting to know certain guests well, as I have been working here for about 14 years. This also applies to my colleagues; over the years, I have gotten to know many people. In my free time, I like to visit restaurants and often run into my former and current colleagues in the city.

During my shifts, I frequently interact with my colleagues in the kitchen, which I find to be a fun part of my job. My colleagues make my day. What I find important about my job is the satisfaction and feeling of being needed. It's like a medicine for me. Recently, I had two weeks off and hadn't planned anything. At the end of those two weeks, I felt down and useless; I was looking forward to going back to work. For my next vacation, I now know that I should plan something better, haha.