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Add as a favourite source on Google Add DutchNews as a favourite source on GoogleThe Netherlands had 19,435 fast food outlets at the start of 2026, an increase of 88% since 2007, according to figures published on Wednesday by national statistics agency CBS.

The count covers cafeterias, sandwich shops, food stalls and ice cream parlours, which now make up slightly more than half of all the country’s 38,600 food outlets.

Restaurants grew more slowly over the same period, rising 73% from 11,055 to 19,165. Because fast food outlets expanded faster, they overtook restaurants in 2020 and have outnumbered them since.

Cities and the coast

Nearly 20% of all fast food outlets are in the four largest cities. Amsterdam has 1,605, Rotterdam 975, The Hague 790 and Utrecht 445.

Measured against population, however, the densest concentrations are not urban. The national average is close to 1.1 outlets per 1,000 residents, and it is tourist areas that push well beyond it.

Vlieland has 8.3 outlets per 1,000 residents, the highest in the country, followed by Schiermonnikoog on 4.1 and Terschelling on 3.1. Coastal municipalities in Zeeland, Zandvoort in Noord-Holland and Valkenburg aan de Geul in Zuid-Limburg also rank highly.

The east and northeast have fewer outlets per head than the national average. Staphorst in Overijssel has the fewest, at 0.3 per 1,000 residents, almost four times below the average.

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