Muntpunt Cafe shuts down amid search for new operator

The cafe at Muntpunt, Brussels' largest Dutch-language library, is temporarily closed as it looks for a new operator to run the small restaurant.

The cafe weathered the pandemic poorly. Numbers of patrons did not return to previous levels and inflation increased costs.

“After just under six years, the current team at Muntpunt Cafe is giving up the ghost, and we are happy to pass it on to future operators,” the cafe announced on social media.

“Thanks for many good times at this curious corner of Brussels – a twilight zone where people of all walks of life intersect, and where six years of very peculiar, often wonderful things went on.”

Muntpunt Cafe was forced to file for bankruptcy due to its financial difficulties.

The hope is that a new operator can take over and reopen it on 1 June. A call for tenders invites potential managers to apply if they "would like to help ensure that everyone finds the right place in Muntpunt, inside or on the cosy terrace, with a contemporary menu and fun activities".

Muntpunt describes itself as "a reading and learning hub for curious minds".

“It is an info point for anyone who wants to live, work, study or work in Brussels – a second home for those who want to relax quietly or meet new people,” its website reads.

The staff at Muntpunt Cafe is multilingual and menus are offered in all of Belgium’s official languages, but Muntpunt’s mission is to promote the knowledge and experience of Brussels by conducting an integrated information, communication and promotion policy on the offer of Brussels, Flemish institutions and organisations, including the preservation of the Flemish language in Brussels.