Since the pandemic forced hotels to close their doors, their restaurants have had to come up with something special – and for the canal-side Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam, with rooms that start at $700 and a two-Michelin-star chef in Sidney Schuitte, that meant selling burgers.

The $20 patties – the first the restaurant has cooked – have proven to be a success, with hundreds of orders a week and a high rating from customers on Uber Eats.

The hotel's manager Roberto Payer said that while they were hesitant about providing the takeaway burger, he became "convinced" by the idea.

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"The only thing I said is: 'If we're going to do it, it's got to be something so special, it got to be spectacular, and that's the way we can do it,'" Payer said.

Chef Schutte readily agreed: "In the pandemic, you get more and more creative and flexible." Like his boss, Schutte insisted that the burger should outshine all rivals. 

"It doesn't matter what you serve, it needs to be good," said Schutte. "I need to be the best in town. It doesn't matter if you serve a pastry or you serve a burger – it needs to be perfect."

The Waldorf Signature burger comes with a 240-gram Holstein-Frisian meat patty, served with English Duke of Berkshire bacon on a French brioche bun, aged Dutch cheese and homemade relish.

While the Dutch government plans to ease some COVID-19 measures on April 28 if possible, the dilemma now facing the restaurant is whether the famous burger will stay on its exclusive menu.