The Fat Mermaid is a laid-back beach venue in Scheveningen. Attention is the keyword: attention to good food, pleasant background music, space for guests, and above all, a lot of personal attention from the staff. MICE makes this easier.
The beach venue on the boulevard has been using MICE for about four years now. Owner Malou Rook talks about this improvement: "With a beach venue, a lot of time is spent on administration, such as answering emails. With the request module, people can see what is possible in a very short time; they are already informed at the first contact, saving time on explaining and offering all options. It practically takes care of itself. As a result, we spend less time behind the computer and can focus our attention on the floor."
And that was a very important reason for Malou to start using MICE. "We believe in giving our guests a good experience. So, there is much more time and money in our beach venue than in locations that focus on mass. We have to compensate somewhere. I don't drive a Ferrari and work in the business myself, but we have also made smart choices, allowing us not to compromise on quality and personal attention. One of them is the choice to use MICE software. But also the decision to work more with parties was an efficiency gain. Parties provide a constant turnover. Large groups are less likely to cancel in bad weather than a couple coming to eat, for example. And precisely for such events, MICE makes it easier for us by simplifying the processes. We call MICE 'the party machine'!"
The transition was done in two days: "We were intensively guided, and nothing was too much trouble. And once it's set up, it's so worth it because you don't have to worry about it. That used to be different."
Malou reveals: "Before MICE, we used a paper agenda: we wrote everything in it. Of course, things still change regularly, especially with large parties where the final numbers can fluctuate, so there was a lot of scratching in that agenda. That is, of course, quite error-prone. Now, customers automatically receive an email a few days in advance and can provide the final numbers. It's just much easier and nicer for customers." She explains the latter: "I was afraid that the personal touch would disappear with automation, but it turns out that's not the case. You actually have time to write the pre-set emails with care, and you can personalize everything with your own branding."
We have much less to manage. We all have a clear overview, and everyone knows what needs to be done. Everyone knows where they stand, internally and externally!
Malou Rook, owner of The Fat Mermaid