19 Amsterdam Residents Sue City Over Viral Chip Shop Licence as Visitors Drop 23%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 4
19 Amsterdam Residents Sue City Over Viral Chip Shop Licence as Visitors Drop 23%
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 4
Summary
Nineteen residents in Amsterdam’s canal-belt district have challenged the city’s licence for Fabel Friet, arguing TikTok-driven queues have turned a narrow residential street into a de facto waiting and eating area.
Tuesday’s hearing focused on whether the takeaway harms the “residential and living environment,” with the city’s lawyer conceding the impact remains severe even though the shop manages queues and litter under its licence.
Residents described blocked pavements, food waste, gulls and rats, while saying the shop is too small and should move to a site where customers can wait indoors rather than spilling onto Runstraat and the Keizersgracht bridge.
Fabel Friet’s owners said they hire cleaners four times a day, seven days a week, and that August visitor numbers fell 23% after opening four new locations, calling the criticism unfair.
The case, with a court ruling due on 12 November, has become a test of how Amsterdam handles “viral urbanism” as tourism supports 70,000 jobs but strains public space and local retail.