Flanders currently has one third fewer bars than it had a decade ago. According to figures published in articles in Friday’s editions of the dailies ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ and ‘De Standaard’, during the past 10 years, the number of bars in Flanders has decreased by 32.2%. The newspapers’ figures come from the research agency Locatus. Meanwhile, the number of catering establishments that offer food has increased.
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33% fewer bars in Flanders than there were a decade ago
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Between 2013 and 2023, 2,739 cafés or bars closed in Flanders. This is around one per day. There are currently 5,763 cafés registered in our region. In 46 Flemish municipalities the number of bars has fallen by half during the last 10 years. Limburg Province has been hardest hit, while the decrees in the number of bars was smallest in West Flanders.
The Chair of the Bruges branch of the hospitality association Horeca Vlaanderen Sandra Timmerman told VRT News that there are several reasons for the decline in the number of bars.
“The profit margin for those establisments that only sell drinks is getting smaller and smaller and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find staff.” Most people, including the so-called “flexi-jobbers”, no longer want to work in the evenings or on weekends.
But these are not the only reasons. “People think that going to a café has become more expensive. So they are looking for alternatives."
Like elsewhere, in Flanders, the smoking ban, stricter checks on drink driving and higher fares for taxis are also stopping people from going out for a pint.
While the number of bars is in decline, the number of bistros and other hospitality outlets that serve food has increased by 3.8% since 2013.