HEMA Restaurant Groningen-Centrum

HEMA Restaurant Groningen-Centrum is part of the HEMA store at Herestraat 64 in Groningen. The location is listed by HEMA as offering a restaurant and take-away services within the store. This means it is not an independent coffee bar, but a hospitality function within a department store environment.

The history of HEMA dates back to 1926. According to company information, the chain was founded by Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac, who were then directors at De Bijenkorf. Following the first locations in Amsterdam, branches also opened in other cities, including Groningen. HEMA’s lunchroom and restaurant format is also traced back to 1926.

No separate opening date for the restaurant in Groningen-Centrum has been publicly documented. However, it is known that HEMA has been present at Herestraat for a long time. In 2025, it was reported that the building at Herestraat 64 had been sold and that HEMA had been at this location for nearly a hundred years.

The restaurant concept fits within the broader HEMA formula. HEMA describes its restaurants as places for breakfast, lunch, coffee with pastries, snacks and, in larger restaurants, hot meals. Take-away is also part of the mentioned setup. The Groningen location is specifically linked to restaurant use and coffee with pastries in the store information.

The available information about coffee at HEMA Groningen-Centrum is primarily chain-wide. A public description states that the coffee served in HEMA restaurants consists of blends roasted by Smit & Dorlas. No separate coffee supplier or local roast profile has been publicly documented for this specific location.

In its restaurant and food communications, HEMA lists various hot and cold beverages. These include coffee, tea, hot chocolate, latte macchiato variants, and iced coffee options. The restaurant page for Groningen-Centrum specifically mentions coffee with pastries as part of the offering.

No specific public information is available regarding brewing methods for this location. No data was found concerning manual preparation, filter methods, espresso machines, recipes, or barista approaches at the store level. This distinction is relevant for coffee enthusiasts, as it highlights the difference between a specialty coffee profile and a standardized restaurant formula.

The restaurant function is not separate from the store. Official store information lists, in addition to the restaurant and take-away options, a pastry service, photo-related services, order pickup points, and a DHL parcel locker. Consequently, the coffee provision is part of a broader customer flow within the department store.

This context influences the role of the hospitality offering. The space is not exclusively designed around coffee, coffee beans, or tasting moments. The available data suggests a practical restaurant offering for shoppers. This distinction is important when evaluating the location within the coffee sector.

Little has been publicly documented regarding coffee-related events at HEMA Groningen-Centrum. No workshops, cuppings, tastings, or exhibitions specifically linked to the restaurant or coffee offering were found. However, there are public references to activities at or around the location at Herestraat 64.

For instance, public search results mention a photo activity at HEMA Groningen Centrum on Friday, November 5. There are also references to “Vergeet-mij-niet-Koffie” and Alzheimer Nederland in relation to HEMA Herestraat Groningen. However, the available information does not provide a full program or a fixed events calendar.

HEMA states that all tea and coffee has been UTZ- or Rainforest Alliance-certified since 2021. HEMA’s coffee section further notes that the coffee is linked to Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee farmers. It is also mentioned that 70 percent of coffee products are traceable to their origin via Farmer Connect.

Regarding food waste, HEMA collaborates with Too Good To Go. For Groningen, “HEMA – Groningen, Herestraat” is listed with a surprise package. This means the location is included in a system where surplus food can be sold in packages rather than being discarded.

The building itself also has a documented sustainability status. The property at Herestraat 64 is listed in BREEAM-NL with a score of “PASS 35,60%”. The certification dates from December 16, 2024, and is valid until December 16, 2027.

The Groningen HEMA location gained attention in trade media in 2019. Franchise+ reported that HEMA Groningen Centrum received a title in the category of own stores for the 2018-2019 period. This recognition referred to the store as a whole and not specifically to the restaurant or the coffee offering.

Other reporting focused on the building and national hospitality formulas. PropertyNL wrote in 2025 about the sale of the HEMA building on Herestraat. Frituurwereld reported in 2024 on benchmark results for Dutch coffee and lunch formulas, including HEMA at the chain level. This data is not specific to Groningen-Centrum.

HEMA Restaurant Groningen-Centrum occupies a different position in the local coffee landscape than an independent specialty coffee shop. Available information indicates a restaurant function within a store, with coffee as part of a broader assortment. Documentation regarding beans, brewing methods, and local coffee programming remains limited.

For a factual assessment, it is primarily important to clarify what has and has not been documented. The location offers coffee within the HEMA restaurant formula, operates at the chain level with the mentioned certifications, and is connected to a retail building with BREEAM registration. Specific details regarding preparation and coffee identity at the store level are not publicly documented.