Residents of one of Amsterdam’s most exclusive neighbourhoods are taking the city to court over a chip shop that went viral on TikTok. On busy days, the queue for Fabel Friet on Runstraat stretches across a bridge on the Keizersgracht, one of Amsterdam’s most famous canals, a court heard last week. The narrow street is packed with tourists waiting for their orders seven days a week. Gulls also wait to swoop, perching on parked cars, the street, and steps and porches.
“We are in a kind of war where a very unwelcome chip shop has polluted the whole area,” said Thomas van Leeuwen, who lives nearby. “Eating in the street is shameful behaviour. It leaves filthy food on our doorsteps and mayonnaise on the beautiful stone. Herring gulls have moved in as residents, and the worst thing is the rat infestation.”
Nineteen neighbours have formally objected to the business licence for Fabel Friet, whose signature product is fries topped with parmesan cheese and truffle mayonnaise. Niek van der Heijden, the lead plaintiff, said the problem was the takeaway’s small size.
“What we call the ‘TikTok queue’ for Fabel Friet causes the most nuisance,” he said. “The business happens on the street: waiting to order, waiting to be served, eating. We want Fabel to move to a place with enough room for customers inside.”
In a packed courtroom on Tuesday morning, a lawyer for Amsterdam city council acknowledged that the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, can refuse an operating licence if a business negatively affects the “residential and living environment.” While the chip shop meets its licence obligations to manage the queue and clear litter, she said, “it has been going on for a long time, the impact remains severe, and you have to ask: how long can we tolerate this?” She said the city would be guided by the court’s ruling on the current licence.
The shop’s owners, Abel Klatser and Floris Feilzer, said they employ a cleaning service seven days a week, four times a day, and that visitor numbers dropped 23% year-on-year this August after they opened four new locations. “A few neighbours have experienced nuisance, but other people enjoy eating chips,” said Gertjan Teeuwen, their lawyer. “It can be busy, but there are peaks and troughs.”
Klatser and Feilzer said in a public statement that they felt unfairly attacked while doing their best to be good neighbours. “Fabel Friet is our child, and we have put our heart and soul into it,” they said. “It is painful when people talk about our business negatively.”
The case goes beyond irritation with so-called performative tourism, where tourists flock to a place to post images on social media. “The tiny streets might be charming, but the space is not designed for so many people,” said Lisa-Bobbie Kamp, a lawyer for the neighbours. “This is a question of taking space, who owns the place and whether you can just use public space.”
Marije Peute, a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam, has studied the effects of “viral urbanism” in the neighbourhood. “The municipality should really think about how they want to act, because this is about public space. A lot of much older retail spaces have lost their local customers because they don’t want to go there any more,” she said.
Rogier Havelaar, a councillor from the Christian Democratic Appeal party, said thatFabel Friet should probably be given a “flagship store” licence in a better location, but the benefits of tourism to the city should not be ignored. “Amsterdam would never have as many museums, restaurants, nightlife spots and theatres if they were only for residents,” he said. “And tourism provides 70,000 jobs. Amsterdam would have a huge financial problem if tourism disappeared.”
A customer with a portion of Fabel Friet’s signature fries topped with parmesan cheese and truffle mayonnaise. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Standing on the bridge over the Keizersgracht, some German laboratory apprentices who had been drawn there by TikTok were enjoying their chips. Natalie Stübben said crowd managers had just asked them to move away from people’s homes. “It’s pretty hard to get through here with a car or even on foot,” she said. “I don’t think we were thinking about annoying the neighbours, but it makes sense.”
‘I don’t think we were thinking about annoying the neighbours’ … Natalie Stübben.
Some of those neighbours will be pleased if the business location has had its chips after the court verdict on 12 November. “There’s something very alarming about the fact that these people are all led by their higher power – influencers – and call themselves followers,” said van Leeuwen. “It’s Orwellian. This court case is part of the parasitic industry that lives on tourists.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the legal dispute over the viral Amsterdam chip shop
What is this dispute about
It is a legal battle between a chip shop in Amsterdam and the city council The shop went viral on social media leading to huge crowds and the council is trying to shut it down or restrict it
Which chip shop is involved
The shop is Fabel Friet located in the center of Amsterdam
Why did the shop go viral
A popular TikTok food reviewer visited the shop The video showed the owner playfully arguing with customers and serving large portions which got millions of views
Why is the city taking the shop to court
The city says the shop is causing safety issues The massive crowds block the narrow streets annoy neighbors with noise and create a fire hazard because people cannot evacuate the area quickly
What does We are in a kind of war mean
The shop owner said this to describe his feelings He feels the city is unfairly targeting him and trying to destroy his successful business rather than helping him manage the crowds
Is the shop breaking any laws
The city claims the shop violated zoning laws The area is zoned for specific types of businesses and the city argues the shop is acting more like a tourist attraction than a standard takeaway spot which changes the safety requirements
What does the shop owner want
The owner wants to stay open He argues that he is not doing anything illegal and that the city should help him control the crowds instead of shutting him down
What does the city want
The city wants the shop to close or significantly change how it operates to stop the overcrowding They are asking the court to enforce the zoning rules
What happened in court
The judge listened to both sides The court did not immediately close the shop but imposed strict rules The shop must now limit the number of customers inside and manage the line outside
Can the shop stay open
Yes for now The judge allowed it to remain open under strict conditions but the final decision on whether it can stay open permanently is still pending
What is a zoning law
Zoning laws are rules that say what kind of buildings and businesses can exist in a specific area For example a factory cannot be built in
