KORTRIJK – It has gradually become a matter of looking with a magnifying glass at the typical and traditional small businesses of Kortrijk. The Byttebier family also keeps an eye on things in the heart of Kortrijk with their gift shop and the well-run catering company La Cantine. There are two reasons: the very hard work of Koen (69) and Leif Byttebier, and the lack of any other interest in succession.
La Cantine, the Byttebier family’s catering business on Van Daleplein in Kortrijk, will close at the end of August. A month later, the popular gift shop in Byttebier will also close.
Het Nieuwsblad reports on the transformation of Byttebier, one of Kortrijk’s most popular small businesses. “Catering at home is hard work, especially for the concept we support, it’s a hell of a project,” says Liv Ver Donk, wife of Koen Byttebier.
No follow up
The fact that there is no follow-up plays a role in the story. Daughter Sophie (40) wants to direct herself differently, just like her friend Jeroen Tack. “What we really loved and will miss is the communication between the catering people,” says Koen Petitpierre in Het Nieuwsblad. “We never had a sense of competition among ourselves. That was really one of the charms of the profession. We had a greater sense of competition in our business.”
The question remains: what now? “If I am elected in the next municipal elections, I will draw attention to my generation,” says Koen Petitpierre in the newspaper. “I will also make myself useful, for example by doing volunteer work.”
The future of the beautiful building in the shadow of St. Martin’s Church remains a question mark at the moment.
picture: Het Nieuwsblad/Mediahuis
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