2023-09-29 19:00:00
Are the real Belgian fries on the verge of disappearing? “More and more fritkots are turning away from the bintje” At Vespéral in Charleroi, at “Véro et Bibiche” for close friends, we only use bintjes when they are available. ©Frédéric Ngom (Archive 2021)
At her house, it must remain Belgian, fresh, not pre-cooked and not frozen. “That’s what makes the fry. And if prices have increased, too bad, I earn less and I open one or more days more per week. Because skimping on quality or quantity is a no-no. Raising prices with competition is also a no. The adjustment variable is my margin or the staff… and we’re not going to fire anyone!”
“The bintjes have become atrophied”
For the owner of Golden Snack in Charleroi, who also manages other chip shops in Belgium, bintje has not been processed for years: “they are too small and of poor quality. Maybe one month a year, in season, and still… They are atrophied, in fact. But it’s important to continue with Belgian potatoes, that’s not up for debate. And our customers just applaud us, because they like it.” He is a businessman: “5 years ago, I started a new strategy, switching to a model close to McDonald’s but with Belgian and fresh potatoes. We have our own producer, who delivers to us by the truckload. He knows that he will sell everything, we have a preferential price. It allowed us to barely feel the inflation, but it’s hard for the little ones.”
French fries, a mirror of inflation? “We limit the impact of increases on the price of the package”
“I work with the best potato around”
Thibaut Dinjart has been at the head of his chip shop “Chez Thib”, located along the N4 in Naninne (Namur), for almost 20 years. This fryer does not work exclusively with Bintje. “I trust my supplier who gets the best potato at the moment,” he says. Since the start of 2023, the price of peeled and cut fries per kilo has continued to rise, reaching €1.30 excluding VAT recently. “I adapted my prices but nevertheless had to reduce my profit margin. If I had to pass on the known increases, I would have had to double my prices”. Thibaut Dinjart does not hide the fact that in recent days, the price of fries has decreased. In one week, the price went from €1.10 to €1.00/kg. A slight decrease which feels good but is not enough to offset all the increases.
“Bintjes, 90%, depending on the quality of the harvest”
Valentin Willems opened the Burger Time chip shop in Grand-Halleux in 2015. And remains faithful, “90% depending on quality” to the bintje. ©DR
Valentin Willems opened the Burger Time chip shop in Grand-Halleux in 2015. Since then, he has trusted his supplier to offer his customers quality fries. “I buy fresh, pre-cut fries,” he says. The variety of potato supplied may depend on the quality and quantity of the harvest, but 90% of them are bintjes.” As for the price per kg, it fluctuates – it went from €1.35 to €1.15 last week – but remains, according to the trader, relatively high, as do the prices of fat and packaging. “The increase of 300% for fats and 30% for cardboard was only partially passed on to the price of the cone of fries, increased by a maximum of 10%. To get by, I am diversifying my activities. I installed a burger vending machine next to the chip shop.”
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