Will Marc Coucke’s takeover change Belgium’s all-you-can-eat Amadeus restaurants?
Marc Coucke’s investment company Alychlo acquired a majority stake in the five-restaurant Amadeus chain on 21 August 2026, while its existing owners and management remain involved. Diners should expect continuity for now: the ribs formula is staying, a Bruges branch is planned for autumn, and the partners aim to add roughly one location a year.
The transaction places a familiar Belgian dining brand under the control of an investor with the capital to expand it. Customers gain the prospect of more locations, while the central test is whether Amadeus can scale without losing the food, service and idiosyncratic atmosphere that created its following.
’s investment company acquired a majority stake in ’s restaurant chain on 21 August 2026, leaving current owners Marie Thevelin and Peter Dobbelaere involved in the business and the existing management in place. For diners, the immediate takeaway is reassuringly simple: no change to the familiar all-you-can-eat ribs concept has been announced, existing restaurants remain the places to book, and anyone travelling specifically for a meal should still check the relevant branch’s current opening hours and reservation page.
, citing the company’s announcement, reports that currently operates five restaurants: two in , one in , one in and one in . Together they receive nearly 400,000 diners a year, according to . A sixth restaurant is due to open in this autumn, after which the partners intend to add an average of one location annually.
The purchase price and ’s exact shareholding have not been disclosed. That makes this a change of control rather than a fully transparent sale: Coucke’s family investment vehicle is now the majority shareholder, but Thevelin and Dobbelaere retain a stake and an operational role. They had owned the chain since 2023 and renovated its kitchens, according to .
## What regular customers can expect
built its reputation around a deliberately uncomplicated proposition: spare ribs served without a fixed portion limit, accompanied by a baked potato, in dining rooms filled with nostalgic decoration. ’s official tourism portal describes both establishments as all-you-can-eat spare-rib restaurants and identifies the original site at Plotersgracht 8–10 and the second at Goudenleeuwplein 7.
says it wants to expand that formula rather than reinvent it. The measured target of approximately one opening per year suggests that the immediate work will be behind the scenes: choosing sites, recruiting teams, maintaining supply and reproducing a recognisable atmosphere without turning a locally distinctive restaurant into a generic chain.
That distinction matters. began in ’s Patershol district in 1987 and has accumulated the quirks of an institution rather than the uniformity of a newly designed franchise. Its restaurant, on Rue Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijnestraat near the Marché aux Poissons/Vismarkt, also sits in a district that the official Visit Brussels portal characterises as one of the capital’s main restaurant and café areas. Expansion can make the brand easier to reach, but each new dining room will be judged against places customers have known for years.
No new menus, prices, loyalty scheme or reservation system were announced with the transaction. Customers should therefore be wary of treating old reviews or archived menu photographs as current information. Consult the restaurant’s own booking channel for the branch concerned, particularly for groups, weekends and the planned opening.
## Language and allergy questions
spans ’s linguistic geography. Diners will encounter Dutch in Gent, Antwerpen, and Brugge, while the branch operates in the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region and commonly serves an international public. The same chain may consequently appear online under Dutch and French place names, such as Gent/Gand, Antwerpen/Anvers and Sint-Katelijnestraat/Rue Sainte-Catherine. “Ribbetjes à volonté,” “spare ribs à volonté” and “all-you-can-eat ribs” all point to the same basic formula, but an English-language menu or English-speaking service should be confirmed with the individual restaurant rather than assumed.
People with food allergies should ask the restaurant directly about the ribs, marinade, sauce, side dishes and possible cross-contact. ’s SPF Economie/FOD Economie explains that EU Regulation 1169/2011 applies to restaurants and requires allergen information for non-prepacked food. Oversight is shared between the SPF Economie and the SPF Santé publique/FOD Volksgezondheid, with controls also involving the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, known as AFSCA in French and FAVV in Dutch. The safest practical phrase is direct: “Quels allergènes contient la sauce?” in French, or “Welke allergenen zitten er in de saus?” in Dutch. Staff, rather than an old third-party menu, should provide the current answer.
## Why Coucke wants a seat at the table
fits a recognisable part of Coucke’s investment portfolio: Belgian businesses whose value rests partly on public familiarity and the experience attached to a place or brand. is Coucke’s investment vehicle, and official corporate disclosures from other portfolio companies have repeatedly identified it in that capacity. In Amadeus, it is buying an established concept with substantial customer traffic, not attempting to create a restaurant identity from zero.
For Thevelin and Dobbelaere, a larger investment partner can supply capital and organisational support while they continue operating the restaurants. For , retaining the existing owners reduces the risk of severing the knowledge and relationships behind the brand. The tension is familiar in hospitality: central purchasing, professional systems and repeatable processes can support growth, while excessive standardisation can remove precisely the eccentricity customers came for.
Customers and hospitality workers may therefore view the deal differently. Supporters of the expansion can reasonably see more locations, renewed kitchens and stronger financing as a way to preserve a nearly 40-year-old Belgian name. Regulars who value the atmosphere of the older restaurants will want evidence that growth does not weaken food quality, service or character. Neither outcome is guaranteed by the ownership announcement alone.
The next concrete test is . Its opening date, address, menu and recruitment plans had not been detailed in the reporting available on 24 August 2026. After that launch, the questions will be where the next branch goes, whether prices and the unlimited-ribs promise remain consistent, and how closely new restaurants resemble the originals. Coucke has bought control of the chain; whether can reproduce its charm once a year will be decided one dining room at a time.
Impact
Regional — The chain currently connects Brussels, Antwerp and East Flanders, with Bruges expected to add a first West Flanders location. Future openings could broaden access and create hospitality jobs, although no employment figures or later sites have been announced.
Local — Bruges is expected to receive the chain’s sixth restaurant in autumn 2026, giving Amadeus its first stated location in West Flanders. Existing customers can continue visiting two branches in Ghent and individual restaurants in Brussels, Antwerp and Kruisem. The proposed pace of roughly one new location annually could broaden access and create hospitality work in additional cities, but no later locations, opening dates or employment totals have been announced. The immediate local change is therefore concentrated in Bruges.
What it means for you
For diners, no immediate change to the all-you-can-eat ribs formula has been announced, so existing Amadeus locations should continue operating under the familiar concept. Residents and visitors in Bruges can watch for the sixth branch’s opening in autumn 2026; an exact date and prices have not been provided. Customers elsewhere should not assume a nearby restaurant is imminent: the stated target is only approximately one additional opening per year, and no locations beyond Bruges are confirmed. The acquisition price was undisclosed, so it offers no direct benchmark for customers or investors.
Opposing perspectives
- Expansion-minded owners and customers
Alychlo’s capital and organisational experience could help renew kitchens, secure suitable sites and bring an established Belgian restaurant concept to more cities. Keeping Thevelin, Dobbelaere and the existing management involved may provide continuity while the business grows.
- Regulars protective of the original character
Customers attached to the older restaurants may worry that annual expansion will standardise their eccentric interiors or place pressure on food and service quality. They will judge the deal through the experience at new and existing branches, not through the ownership announcement.
- Diners with dietary or accessibility needs
For these customers, expansion is useful only if practical information improves with it. Consistent allergen guidance, multilingual communication, transparent menus and branch-specific accessibility details will matter more than the number of locations.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Country in which Amadeus operates its restaurant chain.
City where Amadeus was founded in 1987 and currently operates two restaurants.
City hosting one of the chain’s five existing restaurants.
City hosting one of the chain’s five existing restaurants.
Province containing Amadeus locations in Ghent and Kruisem.
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Belgian entrepreneur associated with Alychlo, the investment company acquiring control of Amadeus.
Country in which Amadeus operates its restaurant chain.
City where Amadeus was founded in 1987 and currently operates two restaurants.
City hosting one of the chain’s five existing restaurants.
City hosting one of the chain’s five existing restaurants.
Province containing Amadeus locations in Ghent and Kruisem.
East Flanders municipality hosting one of the chain’s five existing restaurants.
City selected for the planned sixth Amadeus restaurant in autumn 2026.
Province that would receive its first stated Amadeus location through the planned Bruges branch.
Majority-stake transaction completed on 21 August 2026 for an undisclosed price.
Investment company that acquired a majority stake in Amadeus on 21 August 2026.
Belgian restaurant chain known for all-you-can-eat spare ribs, baked potatoes and nostalgic interiors.
Brussels media outlet cited as a source for the acquisition.
Brussels media outlet cited as a source for the acquisition and expansion plans.
Ghent tourism service cited for information about Amadeus.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBX1Primaryprimary· bx1.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZcorroborating· bruzz.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceVisit Gentofficial· visit.gent.beRetrieved 24 August 2026
- View sourceVisit Brusselsofficial· visit.brusselsRetrieved 24 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.