How This Tiny Dutch Restaurant Is Keeping Wendy's Out of Europe
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/wendys-locations-europe-netherlands-goes-restaurant
Frikandel Speciaal, Bitterballen, and something called smulrol are a few favorites on the menu at Wendys in the Dutch city of Goes. There are no 4 for 4 deals, no Baconators or Son of Baconators, no Frostys to dip your fries. Theres not even an adorable, freckle-faced mascot. Instead, its the glorious mullet of the chain-smoking man behind the counter, Albert van der Hoek.
This is what Wendys looks like in Europe: A hole-in-the-wall chippie run by some brute Dutch sailors with a serious case of stick-it-to-the-man-itis. Its the reason a certain billion-dollar, red-headed American fast food chain has been kicked off the continent.
From the corner of Koningstraat, a sign advertising the crispy chicken burger, chicken strips, and crispy hot wings stands among pristine cobblestone streets and gabled facades from the Dutch Golden Age. Its a setting straight out of Amsterdam, except rather than museums, prostitutes, and panicked Brits on shrooms, the towns lure is a steam train that takes you
right out of the town.
Unlike most European cities, though, the romantic setting in Goes has yet to be infiltrated by commercial taste-buds. Theres no Burger King, no McDonalds in the shadow of the towns gothic cathedral De Grote Kerk. Instead of Starbucks, Old World cafes serve up unpronounceable delicacies like ontbijtkoek, or the unfortunately-named pastry Zeeuwse Bolus.
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