Sergio Herman's Frites Atelier seeks European conquest

Chef Sergio Herman’s Frites Atelier chain is a success: Ghent and Brussels will also get their own location for French fries foodies and even more are planned. The next step will be to expand to cities like Barcelona and Berlin.

Brussels and Ghent this year

Frites Atelier is already present in Utrecht, The Hague and Antwerp, but another two stores should arrive later this year. Famous Michelin star-chef Sergio Herman says he is close to a store opening in Ghent. “There are two available locations in Brussels left”, he told Gazet van Antwerpen. In Ghent, more people will be able to sit in the Frites Atelier, up to 40 people, as compared to the fifteen seats in Antwerp.

Airports are also possible new locations: Sergio Herman is looking at Schiphol and Brussels Airport (in Zaventem): “It will be a different format there, because when I walk around in Zaventem, I do not feel the Belgian identity and French fries are part of Belgium’s DNA, right?”, he said.

Looking in Amsterdam and Barcelona

It would be the first step towards an increased international expansion, because the food entrepreneur already looked around for new locations in Barcelona and Amsterdam. He event went to London and Berlin, but “nothing has materialized there just yet”, he added.

Frites Atelier Amsterdam, which is the formula’s full name, aims to open a location in Amsterdam itself, because it still does not have a store there. He still has not found an ideal location there “and the Amsterdam legislation also changed, which does not make it easier to find a location”.

Store with Studio Piet Boon interior

Frites Atelier represent “real” French fries with a hassle, but high-quality and slightly luxurious. Studio Piet Boon has co-designed every Atelier store, painting a “classic French-Amsterdam bistro” vibe. The interior and pricing are basically “premium” and the range of sauces and snacks have been developed by the chef himself. 

That is also why the current product range is rather limited: shrimp croquettes, sausages from the reputable butcher Dierendonck and beef stew sauce with 36-hour pickled meat. A new addition is cheesy jalapeno sauce: cheese sauce with slightly spicy pulled pork. Frites Atelier is also working on its own version of the cheese and croquette and it will also add a hamburger soon. Sergio Herman also went on a so-called “potato internship” to research and improve the French fries.