The fat’s in the fire for traditional snack bar as numbers fall

More local snack bars are throwing in the towel because of high staff and energy costs, a lack of innovation, and the rise of the home air fryer.

According to figures from snack bar trade organisation ProFri, the number of snack bars has plummeted since the coronavirus pandemic. “In 2019, there were some 5,700 snack bars and now we have fewer than 5,000,” ProFri director Ubel Zuiderveld told the Financieele Dagblad.

The number of street stands serving French fries has also halved, to around 500.

Owners are hard put to find successors or staff, Zuiderveld, said and consumer patterns have also changed “radically”. “In the 1980s and 1990s, it was the three Ps: Pizza, patat (chips) and babi pangang”, he said.

Local snack bars have also put up their prices, with a patatje-met now costing almost €4.

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Snack bar chains with dozens of branches, such as Febo and ’t Bakhuus are, however, doing better and have even grown slightly.

Hans van Ballegooijen from chain Restaria said the biggest threat to the traditional snack bar is the supermarket air fryer snack. “People need a reason to pay €2.50 for something you can buy in the supermarket for €1. My advice is not to skimp on quality.”