Barista Cafe celebrates opening on Oude Binnenweg with free cappuccinos

On Oude Binnenweg, in the former premises of Chocolate Company, Barista Cafe has opened. In the café, 22-year-old entrepreneur Donna Rijsdijk offers croissants, sandwiches and coffee specials for breakfast or lunch. On Thursday 12 March, the opening will be festively celebrated. Then Donna and her team will treat all visitors to a free cappuccino. Barista Cafe Oude Binnenweg is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00.

''I think it's really super cool to be able to open this," says Donna, previously owner of candy shop Get Your Candy in Leidschendam . "Having my own Barista Cafe feels like a big next step and I'm really proud that it's really here now."

Through her parents, who run a Chocolate Company in The Hague, she already knew the premises on the Oude Binnenweg. When the location became available, everything fell together for her. "I had been thinking about the next step for a while," she says. "When this came my way, it immediately felt right." With Barista Cafe, she is now opening her own catering business for the first time. "I'm doing it all by myself," says Donna. "That's exciting, but that's exactly what gives me a lot of energy."

Living room feel

With her Barista Cafe, Donna mainly wants to create a place where people immediately feel at ease. Inside, there is room for about 50 guests and outside there is a small terrace on the street, so you can sit down inside as well as outside. The interior has the recognisable Barista Cafe look, with warm accents and an atmosphere that matches the living room feel the concept is known for.

According to Donna, that relaxed setting is precisely what she wants to portray. "I love those cosy cafés where people just stay seated," she says. "That living room feeling is very important to me. I want people to come in here and think: yes, this is the right place for me." To her, the Oude Binnenweg feels like the perfect place. "It's a street with a lot of character, just a bit different from the busy city centre. That makes it the perfect location for me."

About Barista Cafe

In 2009, Barista cafe started in Alphen aan den Rijn. It has grown into a national concept with now several locations throughout the Netherlands. In Rotterdam, there is already a location at Wilhelminaplein.