Study: Homes near viral fry shop in Amsterdam's De 9 Straatjes sell for 4.9% less

According to research by PhD candidate Rosa van der Drift, published on Monday in the Regional Studies academic journal, homes near the viral TikTok snackbar, the Fabel Friet on Runstraat in Amsterdam’s De 9 Straatjes, sold on average for 4.9 percent less than comparable properties that do not have such queues near them. In the meantime, the long-running fight over Fabel Friet’s Runstraat permit went to court on Tuesday, with residents asking judges to force the city to revoke it.

Locals have long complained about the nuisance, such as litter and noise, but the impact on properties was not previously known. The Fabel Friet’s went viral on TikTok in 2022. After that, long queues regularly formed daily on the street and the nearby bridge, with hours-long waits becoming the norm. The shop has since opened other locations in Amsterdam, but this one remains the most popular. The fries, with ample topping options, are very photogenic, visitors told RTL. The pictures posted on social media then draw in even more visitors.

On Tuesday, a court saw the case brought by residents against the City of Amsterdam. The residents argued that the city should revoke the permit from the shop, as it is not following the rules.

“Standing in court now hits us hard,” Floris Felizer, co-owner of the Fabel Friet, told RTL Z. “From the start we have wanted to be a good neighbor. That is why we have taken many measures to prevent nuisance and why we keep talking with the neighborhood and the city.”

The owners of Fabel Friet have taken steps to curb disruptions, such as hiring cleaners and deploying people to prevent unsafe traffic situations resulting from the TikTok queues.

Owners of the neighboring wine shop De Wijnwinkel have recently moved to another part of the neighborhood. According to RTL, the decision was in part due to the nuisance from the fry-eating TikTok crowds.