A cafe where you can be the judge about what to pay. Is that too optimistic these days? Certainly not for cafe Trust in Amsterdam. The cafe operates according to the principle of Pay As You Feel. Do you feel good? Then pay with that in mind. Feeling down? Then you can pay a little less. We went to have a look!
From the inside, café Trust looks like you would expect. Different colored tables and chairs, nice tiles and quotes on the wall which make you happy. On the menu are really no prices, which was new to me. When I went to order I was being helped by a kind girl who asked whether I have been here before. I said no, so she asked me if she was allowed to explain their philosophy. Of course, I said yes, so she began to explain. She told me that they work with an open kitchen principle so that guests can see what they get and don’t get surprised. She also said that they work according to the ‘Happy for no Reason principle’. Which means that they want to make people happy, without having a special reason for doing so. They ask you to pay with your heart instead of your head. For me, this was a little too spiritual, but still, I like the thought behind it and I think this is an interesting concept for our economy.
We both ordered a ‘Hulk Smoothie’, a smoothie with banana, apple, spinach and celery. Because we had been eating all day (and because I was a little sick and felt highly awkward for not ordering anything in the previous restaurant and only drank tea), was this the only thing we ordered. That was a pity because there are enough tasty things on the menu. From sandwiches and soups to tasty salads and fried egg on toast.
At the checkout, it was really the case that you could type in the amount you wanted to pay on the paying device. With some awkwardness, I typed in the amount we discussed just before. For a moment, the bad person in me awoke and I thought: what if I pay just one cent? Well, that’s possible, but still, the happiness and the philosophy worked well. Of course, there will always be people who misuse these kinds of things, but still, this store is always very crowded and it already exists for 5 years now! Who would have expected that? Possibly, an idea for all Dutch stores? In any case, it’s really something to think about.
Do you want to visit Trust one time? The café is located at the Albert Cuypmarkt and very accessible by any tram!
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