Small snack bars face decline across the Netherlands

Small snack bars and traditional cafeterias are facing a decline across the Netherlands, driven by rising costs, lack of successors, and changing consumer habits. In the Overijssel region, several establishments in cities such as Hengelo, Enschede, and Kampen have recently closed or declared bankruptcy. Business owners note that increased expenses have made it difficult to maintain profitability with lower daily turnover compared to previous years.

Contributing factors include the ‘airfryer effect,’ where more households cook at home using air fryers, and the expansion of large fast-food chains which compete with smaller local businesses. Additionally, some locations are being repurposed for residential housing.

In Sassenheim, the long-standing snack bar Parkzicht is closing after twenty years of operation. The owners cited the cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating fires in 2022 and 2023 as primary reasons for their decision to emigrate to Germany to start anew.