ROTTERDAM, 9 December 2025 – Rotterdam now supports thirty care and neighbourhood restaurants that serve as meeting places for older residents. With thirteen new subsidies granted this year, the city wants to offer more locations where people can share a meal, meet others and feel less alone.
Image: The recipients of subsidies for thirteen care and neighbourhood restaurants with Alderman Buijt.
Municipality supports thirty care and neighbourhood restaurants
The municipality has again awarded subsidies to thirteen care and neighbourhood restaurants (zorg- en wijkrestaurants) spread across Rotterdam. These venues offer affordable, healthy meals and a low-threshold way for older residents to be out in the neighbourhood and meet others close to home.
Six of the thirteen subsidies have gone to new initiatives: De Zuiderkroon, Wijkrestaurant Sociaal Hart Borgsate, Wijkrestaurant Sociaal Hart Rubroek, Stadskeuken IJsselmonde, Wijkkeuken Pompgebouw de Esch and Wijkrestaurant ’t Veerhuis. The other seven restaurants receive support for a second year. Together, they bring the total number of subsidised care and neighbourhood restaurants in Rotterdam to thirty.
Announcement in charlois
The announcement was made during a small celebration at Koco in Charlois, in the presence of local residents and alderman for care, older people and youth care Ronald Buijt. The gathering underlined that these restaurants are woven into neighbourhood life, rather than operating as separate institutions.
The locations are designed as places where older people feel welcome and recognised. Visitors can eat a warm meal at a reasonable price, join others at the table and have informal conversations. Shared meals are seen as a simple but effective way to reduce feelings of loneliness, especially for people who live alone or have a small daily network.
Eating together against loneliness
“These places really make a difference in the lives of many older people,” says alderman Ronald Buijt. “In these restaurants it is not just about food, but mainly about being together. Older people meet each other, make new contacts and feel less alone. That is very valuable for our city.”
For many visitors, the restaurant is a fixed point in the week, offering routine as well as contact. Regular meal moments make it easier to maintain social ties in the neighbourhood, especially for people who may no longer be able to travel far or who do not always feel comfortable in busy cafés and restaurants in the city centre.
Activities and support in the neighbourhood
The city has been supporting care and neighbourhood restaurants with subsidies for several years. In return, the venues organise at least two meal moments per week for older residents. Many locations also offer extra activities such as cooking workshops, games afternoons or themed gatherings, which can help people build a steady routine and a wider circle in their own district.
Previous rounds of funding have been used to equip kitchens, train staff and volunteers, and provide meal vouchers for people with a tight budget. As a result, more older Rotterdammers now have a fixed place nearby where they can drop in, feel at ease and gradually get to know others in the neighbourhood.
More meeting places for older rotterdammers
In total, thirty care and neighbourhood restaurants have been set up with municipal support in recent years, spread across different parts of the city. With this scheme, the municipality aims to strengthen local meeting places and give older residents more options close to home.
More information about the locations and opening times of care and neighbourhood restaurants in Rotterdam can be found on www.rotterdam.nl/wijkrestaurant.
