Court says Amsterdam can't break up customer lines of TikTok-famous shop

The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents

The City of Amsterdam and a newly established French fry shop went into a legal battle recently over the question of whether the municipal authorities could force the business to limit the size of its customer lines which crowded the street. The fry shop apparently won as the court ruled that the administration did not provide strong evidence that the popularity of the business caused inconveniences to the residents.

The French fry shop, called Fabel Friet, is located on Runstraat in Amsterdam and thanks to some good marketing campaign on TikTok showing off its double-fried, locally sourced fries managed to quickly amass a viral following and the resultant queues of customers eager to try the food in question.

According to a report by NL Times, the lines would sometimes extend to the nearby canal bridge on Keizersgracht. The municipal authorities, however, did not share in the enthusiasm as much and argued that the crowding caused inconveniences and disturbances for the street life and residents in the area.

As a consequence, the officials ordered the shop to keep the customer lines no longer than 10 people and to have only one cashier operating if more people gathered up.

Amsterdammers love their French fries apparently

The municipal order, however, did not make much sense as reducing the customer-serving capacity would hardly make fewer people come if the business is popular. That indeed was the position that Fabel Friet’s lawyers took, and the court agreed with them.

Furthermore, the judge pointed out that Fabel Friet has hired four crowd managers who ensure the queue is orderly and doesn’t block the road. The shop cleans up the waste in its area every day, including waste that does not belong to it. 

It looks like the small business has struck a chord with the Amsterdam public with their fries and toppings (truffle mayo anyone?), so the best solution might just be to open additional locations.