For Melvin, the hospitality industry is not a job, but a way of life. He was the first to call when Lucius placed an advertisement in De Telegraaf in 2004. Jeffrey, now retired, was the second. Once you’re in and you like it, you don’t really leave
‘A true hospitality professional,’ says Suus, who took over the restaurant in 2004, and she should know. She learned the trade from her father and Melvin’s father at Restaurant D’ Vijff Vlieghen, a little further down Spuistraat. Hospitality people, the real ones – they suit Lucius. Last week, Melvin received the Gouden Snoek (Golden Pike) from Suus. You get that as a huge token of appreciation. Melvin is the ultimate host, gets on with everyone, is helpful, understands the work (including the tough aspects), doesn’t complain, just gets on with it. You can count on Melvin. He knows his stuff and has a talent for remembering exactly where you sat last time, what you ate, even if you come back a year later.
Melvin has been working in the hospitality industry since he was 17. Every day is different, with variety and different guests. But the contact with regular guests is also special. You also have that variety in pubs, but it’s more fleeting, more superficial. The contact here is more personal, more intense, but still has a certain distance. Only when guests have been coming here for a long time does it become a little more friendly.
The team has changed over time. From 2008 until the coronavirus pandemic, there was a large permanent group. Yes, that was special. You were completely in tune with each other and even knew who clicked with certain types of guests. That one’s for Jeff, that’s more for Mel. People have retired or left during the coronavirus pandemic. The new team is growing, and Melvin himself is now an old hand, of course. By working together, you teach others the trade, such as how to fillet a sole at the table.
What are the nice things? Well, so many. You could fill a nice Spotify list with them. Marc Almond from Soft Cell had dinner here and asked Melvin, ‘Are you coming to the concert tomorrow?’ Melvin went and was welcomed backstage with a glass of champagne, handed to him by Marc Almond in his dressing gown. That kind of things happened more often. Pop artists who enjoyed a nice meal here and then invited you. George Clinton, Udo Jürgens, Julio Iglesias. Lou Reed came three days in a row. At Lucius, they found delicious food and a beautiful ambiance, perhaps even something homely. In exchange, they gave something back, something they were good at, in the form of a concert ticket.
