Thorsten Beumer, owner of the “Het Hoekje” chip shop in Maaseik, Flanders, will have to go out of business, his gas and electricity bill having become far too high.
In recent weeks, announcements from chip shop managers who say they have to close their doors have been numerous on social networks. For Thorsten in particular, the situation has become untenable. “I’m a deep fryer at heart and soul. To be honest, I don’t know how to do anything else. I grew up with it and I love doing this job, but it doesn’t work anymore, ”he testifies sadly in the columns of HLN.
“If things don’t change soon, a lot of independents will have to make the same decision as me,” laments the Belgian. It is his electricity and gas bill that prevents him from continuing to exercise. “My supplier was constantly raising their prices, but I couldn’t keep up. A customer is not going to pay five euros for his packet of fries and another three euros for a meat croquette. On the contrary, regular customers who bought 20 euros worth of fried snacks now spend 15,” explains Thorsten.
“An 85-year-old lady who a month ago came to the chip shop every week now comes once a month because otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get by with her pension,” he adds.
Upon hearing the news, customers of Thorsten’s chip shop were “shocked”. “These price increases make that impossible. What am I going to do now ? I live above the chip shop, but I cannot rent the commercial space separately. For the moment, all my time is still devoted to cleaning, tidying up and selling as much furniture as possible, but after that, I will have to find a job and start working for a boss, ”says Thorsten again. “I find it incredibly unfortunate, but that’s the way it is. And who knows, if better times return, I will relaunch as a fryer, ”he concludes.