Number of coffee shops almost doubled in the past five years in Netherlands

The number of specialized coffee shops in the Netherlands has almost doubled since 2017. The number of lunchrooms also increased. This is evident from an analysis by ANP/LocalFocus based on figures from catering database Datlinq.

In July, there were more than 3,900 lunchrooms and nearly 1,400 specialised coffee shops in the Netherlands, compared to 3,500 and 700 in July 2017. Utrecht is the province with the largest increase in the number of places where people can drink coffee, with an increase of almost 45 percent. This is followed by Zeeland and Gelderland.

Of the largest municipalities, the number of coffee and lunch tents rose most rapidly in Zoetermeer. In five years' time, this number of locations in the municipality of Zuid-Holland increased by 60 percent. In Westland, Leiden, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn and Haarlemmermeer, the number of coffee and lunch tents also increased by at least 50 percent in that period.

Number of coffee shops and lunchrooms in 2022 (compared to 2017)

Catering establishments had to close their doors several times in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 outbreak, although food and drink take-away remained possible. Nevertheless, the number of catering establishments grew in those years. This development was also seen in the coffee and lunch shops.

Economist Katinka Jongkind of ING sees a number of possible explanations for the fact that the number of coffee and lunch shops has not decreased, but has risen. "Everyone worked from home and of course wanted to get a cup of coffee or a sandwich. During the lockdowns, people could pick up food and drinks, which meant that coffee and lunch shops in particular managed to limit the loss of turnover. Moreover, many catering businesses were able to keep their heads above water thanks to government support."