Fast Food Chains in the Netherlands
Here are ten American fast food chains in the Netherlands. Many are well-established, some are struggling and others are still testing the Dutch marketplace demand…
McDONALD’S
The first McDonald’s Netherlands location opened in 1971 in the city of Zaandam (North Holland). The company struggled early on, not fully embracing some key behavioral differences that existed with Dutch people. For example the restaurants had been located along highways which had led to success in the United States, where a busy parent could pick up dinner for the family on their way home from work. Since a large portion of workers in Netherlands cycling to and from work, the restaurant locations were not convenient. Once this issue was addressed, and restaurants were relocated to city centers, McDonald’s began to flourish. Today there are roughly 250 McDonald’s locations across Netherlands, including 17 in Amsterdam, 15 in Rotterdam, 8 in The Hague and 5 in Utrecht.
KFC
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) first opened in 1972 in Rotterdam. Today there are close to 100 KFC locations in the Netherlands with a third of them (18) in South Holland. Yum! Brands is the American parent company of KFC. Collins Foods is the master KFC franchisee in Netherlands. You can get delivered to your home through Thuisbezorgd.
BURGER KING
Burger King Netherlands opened its first restaurant in 1981. It has since grown to more than 60 locations across the country including Amsterdam (8), Rotterdam (3), The Hague (2), Eindhoven (2), Arnhem (2), Delft (2), Groningen (2), Amersfoort (2) and Utrecht (2). Burger King also offers home delivery for customers in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Schiedam and Hoofddorp areas through Thuisbezorgd.
SUBWAY
The first Subway Netherlands location opened in Eindhoven in 2000. The brand quickly expanded via a network of franchisee-owned locations. Today there are 180+ Subway sandwich shops across the country including in Amsterdam (11), Eindhoven (8), Rotterdam (8), The Hague (8) and Utrecht (4). You can have Subway delivered to your home through Thuisbezorgd.
DOMINO’S
In 2001, Domino’s Pizza set up a ‘regional resource center’ here in the Netherlands (the first outside the United States) after taking a majority share in the Dutch license holder. That move would later be key in the brand’s European expansion. Domino’s is the market leader in home pizza delivery in Holland with approximately 350 locations (10 in Amsterdam alone).
STARBUCKS
In 2007, the first Starbucks Netherlands location opened at Schiphol Airport and was operated by licensee HMS Host. Two years later, the first Starbucks train station location was opened at Leiden Centraal (operated by licensee Servex, a subsidiary of NS). In 2011, the first city center Starbucks coffee house opened on the Leidsestraat in Amsterdam. Today there are over 90 Starbucks points-of-sale in Netherlands including 14 in Amsterdam, 9 in Rotterdam and 4 in The Hague.
DUNKIN’ DONUTS
This popular American donut shop chain (which recently rebranded to just Dunkin’) wasn’t so successful when it first attempted to enter the Dutch marketplace back in the late 1990s. After nearly two decades away from the Netherlands, the brand was reintroduced in 2017, beginning with 4 locations in Amsterdam. Over the past 5 years it has expanded significantly and currently has over 30 shops in cities such as The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Tilburg. They even have two locations in the Mall of the Netherlands (Leidschendam). You can have Dunkin Donuts delivered to your home through Thuisbezorgd.
FIVE GUYS
The Five Guys American burger chain crossed the Atlantic in 2017. After reaching a peak of 8 locations in the Netherlands, the chain has reduced its footprint by 50% to just 4 restaurants… Eindhoven, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. You won’t find it in Amsterdam as the city council blocked its application for an operating permit in an attempt to limit the number of fast food restaurants in the city. But if you live in one of the 4 cities above, you can order Five Guys for home delivery through Thuisbezorgd or Ubereats.
PAPA JOHNS
The American pizza delivery chain Papa Johns opened in the Netherlands in 2016 and expanded to 25 locations in the years following. That number has decreased to the current 9 which includes locations in Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, The Hague, Nijmegen and Zaandam. You can order Papa John’s pizza with home delivery from Thuisbezorgd or Ubereats.
TACO BELL
Taco Bell, the American Tex-Mex cuisine fast food restaurant chain, has been present in the Netherlands since 2017 when they opened 3 locations in North Brabant. Today there are Taco Bell locations in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Duiven, Eindhoven, Geffen, Rotterdam, The Hague, Tilburg and Utrecht. Taco Bell is a division of Yum! Brands (along with Pizza Hut and KFC). If you live in one of the 9 Dutch cities above, you can have Taco Bell delivered to your home either through Thuisbezorgd or Ubereats.
NOTE: According to the Dutch national statistics bureau, CBS, the fast food category consistently shows high growth within the Netherlands’ food and beverage sector.
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