“‘We Are in a War’: Why Amsterdam locals are fighting to shut down a viral TikTok chip shop

Greasy doorsteps, worsening rat problems, and property values dropping by nearly 5%, but this is not the story of a failing district, but the tale of collateral damage from a viral TikTok food craze. Now, angry Amsterdam residents are suing the city to shut down the street-eating hotspot for good.

A tiny takeaway with a very big footprint

Fabel Friet opened its first shop in the Runstraat, in the heart of the Nine Streets shopping area, in 2020. In 2022, short videos of its signature dish, thick-cut fries finished with parmesan and truffle mayonnaise, or cheddar specials loaded with multiple sauces – started circulating widely, bringing in queues of visitors from across Europe and beyond.

However, because the outlet is so small, roughly 25 square metres of floor space, much of the customer experience happens outside. People wait to order on the pavement, crowd the narrow street to collect their food, and often eat on steps, walls and parked bikes nearby. On busy days, the line snakes across a bridge over the Keizersgracht canal, one of the city’s most photographed waterways.

“We are in a kind of war”

Nineteen neighbours have joined a legal case against the City of Amsterdam, arguing that the licence granted to Fabel Friet harms their residential environment. One resident, Thomas van Leeuwen, told the court: “We are in a kind of war where a very unwelcome chip shop has polluted the whole area.” He described greasy food on doorsteps, mayonnaise on historic stonework, gulls nesting nearby and a rat problem that has worsened as scraps accumulate.

Lead plaintiff Niek van der Heijden says the core issue is size. In his view, the takeaway should operate where customers can wait and eat inside, instead of turning a residential street into an open-air dining room. Residents argue the city should never have extended the permit without properly weighing their interests.

City admits rules allow it to say no, but points to compliance

During the hearing, a lawyer for Amsterdam city council accepted that the mayor can refuse or withdraw a licence if a business substantially damages the “residential and living environment”. At the same time, officials noted that Fabel Friet meets current licence conditions on queue management and litter clearance. For the existing permit, the council said it will follow the court’s ruling.

Founders Abel Klatser and Floris Feilzer say they employ a professional cleaning crew seven days a week, four times a day. They also point to new branches opened elsewhere in the city, which they say helped reduce visitor numbers at the original site by around 23% in the past year. Their lawyer argued that while peaks occur, traffic fluctuates and only a minority of neighbours feel serious disruption. In a public statement, the pair said they felt unfairly attacked while doing their best to be considerate.

The judge has encouraged both sides to find common ground and will issue a ruling within six weeks, with media reports pointing to a decision around November, 10.