Ex-CEO Applitek opens bistro in China
February 27, 2018 Category Members' News, Weekly
David Laurier, former CEO of Applitek, is opening a chain of Belgian bistros in China. The 47-year old entrepreneur from Deinze has opened the first Tapz bistro on Chinese New Year – 16 February 2018 – in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. Chinese customers will discover typical Belgian specialties such as fresh beef stew with French fries, meat balls in tomato sauce, Ghent waterzooi, steak with bearnaise sauce, and vol-au-vent. Also on offer will be 30 different kinds of beer, including Sint-Canarus from Gottem, says Laurier.
In October 2017, David Laurier sold his family business Applitek to the American listed company Danaher to free up time for new projects. One of them is Tapz, a chain of bistros, which he hopes will conquer the Chinese market. The menu includes specialties well-known in Belgium.
“Wuhan is largely unknown in Belgium,” says Laurier, “but the city has more than 10 million inhabitants. I have visited the city several times when I was with Applitek, including during a state visit of our King and Queen. I know that you can hardly find any of our culinary assets and I would like to change this.” A Belgian cook is training local Chinese chefs.
“The name Tapz refers to about 30 Belgian beers which will be on tap. Besides Duvel and Chimay, I also would like to promote our local brewery Sint-Canarus,” says Laurier. The bistro covers 700 square meters, including a beer shop, a wine bar, cigar corner and a sports corner, where customers can watch important sports events on a large screen. There will also be two billiard tables, an electronic darts board and a beerpong table.”
David Laurier also plans to open a smaller bistro in another part of Wuhan and hopes to set up Tapz bistros in other big cities such as Chengdu. Why China? “After 20 years it has become my second homeland and the opportunities for entrepreneurs are unlimited,” concludes Laurier, as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.
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