“Finally, De Vlaamse Hap is coming back”, a man sighs in passing. “I’m happy with it.” Rick (22) and Ria (55) Welling smile at him. “It’s about time or not,” laughs Rick. Indeed, De Vlaamse Hap and the accompanying Flemish fries are back. Nota bene in the same place at the Notaris Oostingstraat in Emmen. Since this morning, the familiar name of Emmen’s smallest snack bar (barely twenty square meters) has once again adorned the facade.
Oh dear, here we go again, Ria thought, when her son Rick called earlier this year. The Flemish Hap would and had to come back. Ria had heard that before. In 2018, Rick already wanted to take over the business from then owner Anne Legendal. “But financially that was not feasible at the time.”
The business was eventually sold to someone else. It remained a chip shop, but under a different name and without the Flemish character. Rick then decided to try again. The former Primera building on the corner of Hoofdstraat and Notaris Oostingstraat seemed like a suitable location. “Just put a cone on the roof and go, I thought. I just couldn’t convince the landlord of that idea.”
In January, however, Rick received the tip that the old location was becoming available again. “Gert-Jan Dröge (owner of a clothing store) is right next to it with his business and he reported that the business was empty again.” Rick didn’t hesitate for a moment and contacted the property owner. On January 30, he held the key.
Since then, Rick has worked with family and friends to restore De Vlaamse Hap to its former glory. In any case, the familiar red-yellow-black of the Belgian flag adorns the walls and on the counter. A completely new deep fryer and ice machine will also be installed in the coming week and then the business can open on Friday.
“De Vlaamse Hap has always been a household name”, Rick knows. “Left and right in Emmen I heard that that familiar cone was missed. Myself included of course. Because I also stood here regularly in my school days.”
What also made the case unique is the small footprint. With the help of a shoehorn you might just get five people in. It added to the charm, not least because of former proprietor Anne Legendal. “Of course he made the case with his talk, jokes and love for FC Emmen.”
Rick met Legendal last Saturday at a match of the Emmer football club. “He tapped me on the shoulder and congratulated me,” Rick laughs. “He liked that the name comes back.”
Rick has already made some kilometers in terms of running a fries shop. He himself worked in ‘t Emmermeertje in Emmen and ran his own business at the football canteen of football club WKE ’16. Ria will assist her son as much as possible. She also has quite a bit of experience in the profession. In addition to working in a snack bar in Emmer-Compascuum, she also worked for years in the catering industry in the Noorder Dierenpark.
It is always fun in a snack bar, according to the two. “Customers are always happy in a snack bar,” says Rick. “The atmosphere is always perfectly fine. And I really enjoy that.”
The Flemish Hap will be opened on Friday by mayor Eric van Oosterhout. “I also ran into him at that football match on Saturday,” Rick laughs. “I just asked him point blank if he would like to cut a ribbon with me. He wants to do that.” And then with a big wink: “And a fries can also be done.”