Dudok Horeca Group

"In addition to communication, we can also offer onboarding and eLearning modules via Oneteam. This helps us train our employees and make them successful in their work."
– Erwin de Bruin, Finance & Operations Director at Dudok Horeca Group

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About Dudok Horeca Group

For over 30 years, Dudok has been a household name in Rotterdam. What started as one restaurant has grown into a leading hospitality group with 12 locations across Rotterdam, The Hague, Arnhem, and Amsterdam, plus their own bakery in Barendrecht. Dudok is active in catering, banqueting & events, and pastry, and their famous cakes are even available in supermarkets.

We spoke with Erwin de Bruin (Finance & Operations Director), Cyrelle Rutten (Online Marketeer), and Bas Oorschot (Assistant Floor Manager at Dudok Rotterdam) about how Oneteam has helped them modernize their communication and create stronger employee engagement.

The challenge

Before Oneteam, communication was fragmented and often unreliable. Erwin explains that Dudok relied on email newsletters to keep employees informed, but engagement was low. “Only about 30 percent of employees actually read the newsletters, and because it was one-way communication, there was little to no interaction.”

At the same time, locations used WhatsApp groups for daily updates. But these quickly became cluttered. Bas remembers: “In our restaurant we had a WhatsApp group, but there was so much noise that important updates got lost. Shift handovers were still written on paper, and those often disappeared before the next shift even started.”

The result was that not everyone received the same information. “Half the organization knew about new campaigns or business updates, while the other half didn’t,” says Erwin. “And for us at the service office, there was no way to guarantee that important information reached the right person at the right time.”

Cyrelle noticed another issue: “It was especially difficult to engage with locations outside of Rotterdam. We believe transparent and interactive communication is essential to make employees engaged and successful, and we simply didn’t have that.”

All of this was reason enough to start looking for a modern and mobile-first solution.

The solution

The team explored several employee apps before deciding on Oneteam. According to Cyrelle, the deciding factor was usability. “Oneteam is very functional, but also modern and easy to use. It feels familiar, almost like Facebook, which makes it accessible for everyone.”

For Erwin, flexibility was key. “We liked that we could communicate on different levels. Company-wide announcements, updates per location, or even messages to specific functions like the kitchen team or assistant floor managers. It’s all possible. On top of that, the app keeps evolving with valuable new features.”

A tailor-made integration with their HR system Nostradamus was another big win. “As soon as someone is hired, they are automatically added to Oneteam. When they leave, they are removed right away,” Erwin explains. “It works seamlessly and saves us a lot of time.”

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The approach

The rollout of Oneteam went quickly and without major issues. “The implementation was very straightforward,” says Cyrelle. “And whenever something wasn’t clear, we could always reach out to our customer success manager.”

Today, all Dudok employees are connected to the platform, whether they work in the bakery, in one of the restaurants, or at the service office. Having everything in one place makes life easier for everyone. “People are already overloaded with apps,” Cyrelle points out. “Nobody is going to install six different apps for work. With Oneteam, we’ve brought it all together in one.”

The results

The impact of Oneteam has been significant. Communication is not only more structured, but also far more engaging. “Where previously only 30 percent of employees read the newsletter, now more than 80 percent actively view updates in Oneteam,” says Erwin. “Employees are now always aware of what’s going on, regardless of their role or location.”

This shift is noticeable on the floor as well. Bas explains: “The most valuable change for me is that communication is now structured and reliable. Shift notes no longer get lost, and important updates don’t disappear in noisy WhatsApp groups. Everything is in one place, which makes it much easier to do our jobs.”

Oneteam has also become a tool for training and development. “Besides communication, we can now offer onboarding and eLearning modules,” says Erwin. “Employees can train at their own pace, wherever they are. That not only makes them more skilled, but also more confident in their work.”

And for the organization as a whole, the benefits are clear. “If we have a temporary promotion, we post it in the app. If we organize a staff party, we use the event module to handle registrations. Everything runs smoother, and employees feel much more connected.”

Looking ahead

For Dudok, the labor market remains a challenge, especially in hospitality. Retaining employees is a top priority, and Oneteam plays an important role in that.

“We need to do everything we can to attract and keep our people,” Erwin concludes. “Using Oneteam as our central app helps us create a fun and engaging work environment. It’s also a great channel to share things like employee discounts or inspiration across the whole organization. It’s a tool that grows with us and with our team.”