Sabina Baire-Boerema

Investing in the development of your employees doesn’t have to be an extra burden. On the contrary, it can lead to greater engagement and a stronger sense of responsibility. Sabina Baire-Boerema, owner of Restaurant Italia, knows this all too well. Five of her employees are now enrolled in the dual Hotel Management programme at Hotel Management School Leeuwarden, with positive results for both the team and the business.

From employee to contributor

According to Sabina, the strength of a good hospitality business lies not only in processes or figures, but above all in people. What started with one employee combining work and study quickly grew. “It’s a bit of an out-of-hand hobby,” Sabina says with a laugh. “But one that gives me a huge amount of energy.” Several students are now working on their development within the company, and this is clearly visible on the shop floor. They bring in fresh ideas and work on company assignments as part of their studies. “Sometimes they come up with things I would never have thought of myself,” Sabina explains.

Fresh ideas and drinks

One example is the idea of adding cocktails to the menu — something she was initially unsure about. “I thought: that doesn’t suit us. But they kept believing in it.” Cocktails are now an established part of the offering and have proven to be a great success. Students also provide valuable input at a strategic level. One employee, for example, developed a full plan to bring delivery operations in-house, including a cost-benefit analysis. “We’re going to implement that soon. Those are very concrete things that really benefit the business.”

The bigger picture

For Sabina, this is exactly the strength of the programme: students don’t just observe, they actively think about the future of the business. “They are far more involved than someone who just works a few evenings. They see the bigger picture that other employees sometimes miss — from staff planning to the kilos of stock being delivered. They understand that bottles of cola don’t just magically appear in the fridge.”

Working and learning in practice

Combining work and study also requires something from the organisation: trust and a willingness to genuinely involve people in the business. “As an entrepreneur, you have to give students space to think along. If you want to control everything yourself, then this isn’t the right pathway for you,” says Sabina. In practice, employees spend one day a week at school and work in the restaurant alongside their studies. Supervision mainly takes place through day-to-day collaboration and coaching moments. “You’re not constantly on top of them,” Sabina explains. “But you do need to pay attention at the right moments. You can see when someone gets stuck or stops developing. Then you work together to look at where they are now and what the next step is.”

The future of hospitality

That guidance, she says, is easy to combine with daily operations as long as it is organised consciously. “It takes time, but not more than you think. And what you get in return — engaged employees who contribute ideas and grow — makes it absolutely worthwhile.” Sabina also sees a wider value for the sector. “We need to be ambassadors for our profession,” she says. “As employers, we can help young people develop so that hospitality as a sector becomes stronger. I truly believe in that.” And that also means letting employees move on. “I don’t want everyone to stay here until retirement. It’s about them growing, finishing their studies and moving into hospitality. That’s what we’re doing it for.”