Viral TikTok fries shop quietly drains canal-side Amsterdam home values

Living on Amsterdam’s historic canal belt used to guarantee postcard views and prestige. Today, it turns out that a viral box of gourmet fries, an hour-long queue and a flock of hungry seagulls can wipe 41.000 euros off your home's resale value.

How viral queues sink canal belt property values

In a paper published in the academic journal Regional Studies, researcher Rosa van der Drift examined 6.233 property sales in the capital to track how proximity to the queue affected prices.

Focusing specifically on the fallout around viral French fry shop Fabel Friet in Amsterdam's famous Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets), the study found that properties within 500 metres of the crowd lost an average of 4,88 percent in value, equating to roughly 41.000 euros per home.

The value loss was steepest for homes in the immediate vicinity:

• Properties within 70 metres of the queue suffered an 11,4 percent price drop
• Houses between 70 and 500 metres saw a 4,7 percent decrease
• No statistical impact was found beyond 500 metres

Before the snack bar went viral in 2022, local home prices were rising at the exact same pace as the rest of the neighbourhood.

Seagulls, court battles & hour-long queues

The steep drop in home values stems directly from the chaotic daily reality on the ground. Visitors routinely wait up to an hour for photogenic fries with lavish toppings, leaving nearby pavements blocked, litter scattered and stoops occupied by eating tourists.

The surge in discarded food waste has even attracted aggressive seagulls, prompting local residents to employ a falconer with a bird of prey to keep the pests at bay. The disruption has proved too much for long-standing local businesses. For instance, wine shop de Wijnwinkel recently packed up and relocated to escape the constant influx of tourists.

Frustrated neighbours have now taken the municipality of Amsterdam to court in an attempt to revoke the snackbar's operating permit.

"The fact that we are now in court touches us deeply," Fabel Friet co-owner Floris Feilzer told RTL Z. "From the beginning, we have considered it important to be a good neighbour. That is why we have taken so many measures to prevent nuisance and remain in active conversation with the neighbourhood and the municipality."