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Michiel Van EmbdenMV

Michiel Van Embden

F&B Operations & Efficiency Consultant.

€575/day
Amsterdam, NL
15+ years

Average response time: 1 hour

About Michiel

I help bars and restaurants run a sharper, more profitable beverage operation — combining 20 years of hands-on F&B experience with formal training in consumer psychology and neuromarketing.

Beverage is my core. I hold a WSET Level 2 Spirits with Distinction, trained to Master Bartender level at the Bols Bartending Academy, and completed the Van Wees Geneverschool programme in Dutch genever and liqueur. I stay current through Bar Convent Berlin, Tales of the Cocktail, Tales on Tour, and Imbibe Live — tracking where the industry is going and bringing what's relevant back into practical work.

On the commercial side, I have delivered 20%+ procurement savings through contract renegotiation, redesigned beverage programmes to cut dead stock and improve margin, and trained bar teams to move from product knowledge to genuine guest storytelling.

My consumer psychology background — including neuromarketing (Copenhagen Business School) and hands-on eye-tracking research — directly informs how I approach menu design, back bar layout, and service flow. Too much choice overwhelms guests and pushes them toward default, low-margin orders. Focus drives recommendation, and recommendation drives margin.

I also build energy efficiency and sustainability plans for bar and kitchen operations: practical, costed, and always starting with fixes you can act on immediately.

Available for procurement audits, beverage programme resets, energy efficiency reviews, and staff training — across the Netherlands and remotely across Europe.
  • Dutch

    Native or bilingual

  • English

    Native or bilingual

  • German

    Conversational

  • French

    Conversational

Can work on-site
Amsterdam (up to 50km)

Experience

  • Zelfstandig Professional
    Zelfstandig Professional
    HOSPITALITY
    January 2020 - Today (6 years and 5 months)
    Educatie en training van hospitalityprofessionals via platforms als Preply en Upwork, aangevuld met zelfstandig ontwikkelde trajecten voor opdrachtgevers. Focus op productkennis (bier, wijn, spirits), upselling, storytelling en gastbeleving, met praktische formats die direct toepasbaar zijn op de werkvloer. Daarnaast freelance data-analyse en AI-training uitgevoerd voor organisaties zoals TELUS International en DataForce, gericht op datakwaliteit, annotatieprocessen en modelverbetering.

    Werkt projectmatig en resultaatgericht, met nadruk op heldere communicatie en meetbare impact. Activiteiten zijn de afgelopen periode selectief ingezet en worden momenteel verder opgeschaald, met hernieuwde focus op groei, acquisitie en langdurige samenwerkingen.
    Staff training Data analysis Neuromarketing Education Menu development
  • Kexxu
    Manager Production& logistics
    January 2020 - January 2022 (2 years)
    Verantwoordelijk voor inkoop van materialen , productie en verschepen van eye tracking brillen. Werkte mee aan het opzetten en uitvoeren van onderzoeken op het gebied van verkeersveiligheid en consumentengedrag.
    Product Development Customer Segmentation and Analysis Neuromarketing purchaser Research and Development (R&D)
  • CafedeStoof
    General Manager
    HOSPITALITY
    January 2007 - January 2019 (12 years)
    Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Operationele aansturing met focus op omzetgroei, ook in economisch uitdagende perioden (2013). Transitie van volume naar kwaliteit gerealiseerd via een craftbeerconcept en een premium spirits-assortiment. Inkoopkosten met >20% verlaagd door separate contractonderhandelingen voor bier, fris en sterke drank. Actief relatiebeheer gecombineerd met gerichte training van personeel in upselling en productkennis. Eindverantwoordelijk voor planning, administratie, inkoop en kwaliteitscontrole.
    menu design Contract Negotiation Staff training Operational Efficiency Inventory Management

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Education

  • WSET Level 2 Spirits
    Van Wees Geneverschool
    WSET Level 2 Spirits
  • The Neuromarketing Toolbox
    Copenhagen Business School
    The Neuromarketing Toolbox

Skill set

Categories