Bakkerij Renzema: Beating the Lunchtime Rush with Smart Technology

Seven generations of baking in Amsterdam

At Bakkerij Renzema on Olympiaplein 107 in Amsterdam, baking runs in the family. Owner Remco is the seventh generation to stand behind the oven, a line that goes back to his grandfather’s bakery in Amsterdam-Noord and his father’s small shop after that. Today, Renzema carries that tradition forward as an artisan bakery where everything is still made by hand.

“We’re a real artisan business,” Remco explains. “We make everything ourselves, all the bread, everything.” That craft is the heart of the bakery. But staying true to tradition does not mean standing still, Remco is always looking for the next innovation that makes the work a little easier.

The challenge every busy bakery knows

Anyone who has stood in a bakery at lunchtime knows the picture: a line at the counter, customers checking the clock, and a few who take one look at the queue and walk on. A busy bakery is a good problem to have, but long waiting times during peak hours quietly cost sales.

An old-fashioned bakery shop has a lot of moving parts, as Remco puts it plenty of details that all need attention at once. When the same hands are baking, restocking and serving, there is a limit to how many orders a counter can handle. That is the gap Renzema set out to close.

A kiosk that keeps the queue moving

The answer was an Self Order Kiosk, where guests can put together and order their belegde broodjes themselves. “It’s a great thing,” says Remco. “Customers can order their breads right there.” During the busiest part of the day, that takes real pressure off the counter. More guests get served in the same window, and fewer walk away because the line looked too long.

The kiosk does more than move people through faster. With clear images and an easy flow, guests take their time, try something new and add that extra item they might not have asked for at the counter a slightly larger order without a single extra word from staff.

One screen for the counter and Uber Eats

What Remco values most is how it all comes together. The bakery’s Uber Eats orders are integrated directly into Eatcard, so online and in-store orders arrive on the same Kitchen Display. “It’s good that Uber is integrated, so the orders come in on the same kitchen display,” he notes. “That makes for a really nice workflow.”

Instead of juggling separate screens and systems, the kitchen sees everything in one place. For a bakery, that clarity makes the work simpler and as Remco says, in a time of busy days and tight teams, that simplicity is exactly what you want. Work that might otherwise fall on one person becomes something the whole team can organise. Pleasant for everyone.

A menu that simply works

For Remco, the experience also has to look right. “I really like the menu screen, the graphics work well,” he says. “That’s actually what won me over.” It is a small detail, but a telling one: technology that is clear and well designed earns its place in a bakery built on craft, rather than getting in the way of it.

One platform behind the bakery

What makes it work at Bakkerij Renzema is the way everything connects. The Self Order Kiosk, the Kitchen Display and the Uber Eats integration all run on a single Eatcard platform. Nothing has to be stitched together, and nothing falls between the cracks, from the first order of the morning to the final number at close. That is what lets Renzema stay focused on the craft. The technology stays in the background, quietly keeping the queue moving and the kitchen in control, so the team can do what seven generations have done before them: bake.

If you find yourself near Olympiaplein in Amsterdam, it is well worth stopping by.

Curious how the same setup could work for your bakery? Book a demo and see what Eatcard can do for your business.