Travel How This Tiny Dutch Restaurant is Keeping Wendy's Out of Europe It’s fast food’s greatest David and Goliath story. You can’t get a Frosty in Europe, thanks (or no thanks) to this Dutch hole-in-the-wall.

Frikandel Speciaal, Bitterballen, and something called “smulrol” are a few favorites on the menu at Wendy’s 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. There’s not even an adorable, freckle-faced mascot. Instead, it’s the glorious mullet of the chain-smoking man behind the counter, Albert van der Hoek. This is what Wendy’s 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. It’s the reason a certain billion-dollar, red-headed American fast food chain has been kicked off the continent.

Manager Albert van der Hoek outside Wendy’s Fish & Chips. | Tom Burson

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. It’s a setting straight out of Amsterdam, except rather than museums, prostitutes, and panicked Brits on ‘shrooms, the town’s 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. There’s no Burger King, no McDonald’s in the shadow of the town’s gothic cathedral De Grote Kerk. Instead of Starbucks, Old World cafes serve up unpronounceable delicacies like ontbijtkoek, or the unfortunately-named pastry “Zeeuwse Bolus.” Inside Wendy’s Fish & Chips, manager Albert van der Hoek is singing along to Starship’s “We Built This City.” The two-table restaurant is, just from the looks of it, a clear favorite among those from the nearby smoke shop, along with the inebriated twenty-somethings stumbling home in the wee hours. There’s an arcade game, a freezer full of Ben & Jerry’s, and a glass case of burgers, sausages, meatballs, bitterballen -- balls of all kinds, really. Most customers seem to order the frikandel, a breath-stinking specialty of ground hot dog topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, and raw onion. But Albert recommends the crispy chicken burger -- which he warns is a bit spicy -- some fries, and a Heineken. It’s a not too dissimilar combo from, say, a #6 meal at any other Wendy’s in the world, and it’s just as good, the fries perhaps better.

This is what Wendy’s looks like in Europe: A hole-in-the-wall chippie run by some brute Dutch sailors.

Both burger-slinging Wendy’s were started by two men naming their restaurants for their daughters. One became an international success; the other, a pit stop for twenty-somethings stumbling home from Eric La Strada Bar -- a Goes dive that this author hopes is a misspelled homage to Ponch from “CHiPs.” The sight would without a doubt irk the Ohio-based chain, which has, for the last twenty years, filed lawsuit after lawsuit and appeal after appeal to secure the rights to the coveted EU trademark held by this Wendy’s and its owner, Raymond Warrens, since 1988. (Warrens’ initial trademark only covered the Benelux region -- defined as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg -- but, after the official formation of the EU in the ‘90s, his rights extended across the continent.) The big Wendy’s International did not respond to Thrillist’s request for comment, and Warrens refuses to talk about it out of fear his words will be misconstrued. Meanwhile, manager Van der Hoek rolls his eyes over the chain’s allegations, which include grievances that Warrens’ trademark was made in “bad faith,” and demands the complete nullification of the shop’s ownership over the name.

The two-table restaurant serves hot wings and spicy chicken burgers. | Tom Burson

In a mish-mash of Dutch, German, Denglisch, and gestures, Van der Hoek explains a bit of the beef, which seems to hinge on two particular charges: The snack bar’s “normal use” of the name, and if Warrens knowingly named his shop after the American chain. After all, Wendy’s operated in a handful of countries across the EU in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including Germany, Greece, and even Benelux cities like Rotterdam and Brussels. When they all shut down in the mid-80s, Wendy’s lost their beloved trademark -- what some may call a biggie mistake. Van der Hoek’s staunch, no-bullshit demeanor suggests the shop is more annoyed with these accusations than fearful of the multi-million-dollar suits. This is a man who, in one interview, referred to the Wendy’s attorneys as “those CSI ladies,” who “looked too perfect.” The corporation’s claims do seem a little exaggerated. In one of the charges, Wendy’s International alleges Warrens knew about the chain’s existence prior to his trademark registration. Warrens, of course, denies this. How could he have known about Wendy’s? For starters, the chain’s nearest operation to Goes was a single restaurant in Rotterdam, a city nearly two hours away by car. Plus, Wendy’s International did not advertise its restaurants in Europe. Suggesting that Warrens knew about Wendy’s would be like asking an Iowa corn farmer if he knows about the Chicago-opening of some Euro-chain like FEBO or Nordsee.

“Fake Wendy’s. Just close down already, ” reads one Google review.

“Fake Wendy’s” is located on the unassuming street Koningstraat in the Dutch town of Goes. | Tom Burson

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