Future of Brussels' Daringman cafe remains uncertain

Brussels’ Au Daringman cafe faces an uncertain future, with owner Martine Peeters unsure if the popular venue will stay open past 31 December this year. The cafe was recently given a negative opinion from the Royal Commission on Monuments and Sites (

By: xpats.com

Nov 02 2024
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Future of Brussels' Daringman

Brussels’ Au Daringman cafe faces an uncertain future, with owner Martine Peeters unsure if the popular venue will stay open past 31 December this year.

The cafe was recently given a negative opinion from the Royal Commission on Monuments and Sites (KCML) on the classification of its replicated art deco interior as heritage, Bruzz reports.

The Brussels government launched the procedure to protect the cafe as a monument in March, citing it as one of the typical Brussels cafes in an atmosphere that prevailed during the second world war and the following years.

“With this protection, we want to ensure that the interiors of these working-class cafes do not disappear, so that everyone can continue to enjoy the unique atmosphere in the future,” outgoing secretary of state for town planning and heritage Ans Persoons said at the time.

But while KCML acknowledged that the cafe is a witness to “this type of post-war vernacular cafe", it said that it “did nott consider the heritage value to be of such a nature that it can justify protection as a monument”.

The opinion cites cheap materials and worn decor in its verdict.

“The interior was executed in cheap materials that mimic the appearance of the more noble use of materials of Art Deco and also recreate the formal language of this style,” the opinion reads.

“The various interior elements (benches, floors, panelling) underwent a series of changes and some injudicious repairs and most are also very worn.

"Although a certain heritage value can be attributed to the property, the KCML considers that it has not been sufficiently demonstrated that this cafe is a particularly remarkable example of this type of cafes in the region."

Manager Peeters said the negative opinion did not exactly come as a surprise.

“It’s too bad, but I get it,” Peeters told Bruzz. “Somehow I expected it.”

Peeters has been running Au Daringman since 2000 and is so identified with the popular cafe that it is also called "Chez Martine", despite being acquired by Horeca Logistics Services (HLS), the Ternat-based beverage company owned by the Haelterman family.

The current Haeltermans at the helm, brothers Michel and Paul Haelterman are called the "beer kings of Brussels" because of their increasingly impressive patrimony of pubs and other on-trade properties.

In the city centre, their portfolio includes Billie (formerly cafe Monk), the Irish pub O'Reilly's and Metteko. The iconic hotel Frederiksborg is also owned by HLS, as is the recently reopened Belga Queen and nearby Wolf.

HLS’s acquisition of Monk (now Billie) was not without hiccups: “Our cooperation had become a string of discussions about the drink price, the assortment, the rent,” original pub manager Filip Jans told Bruzz at the time.

The all-encompassing approach of the Haelterman family worries Peeters and is one of the factors in her uncertainty about staying on as manager.

“From the coffee to the wine to the juices: they want to supply everything,” she said. "I don't know if I can live with that. There will be a lot of negotiations in the coming weeks. [The cafe] has to remain small-scale. If it doesn't stay that way, I'll leave."

Peeters is also worried about the upcoming Winter Wonders festival, which brings an influx of tourists and business that she does not welcome.

"During Winter Welcome, it’s often a real invasion, with regular customers moving away," she said. "I don't want that. I will be stricter than usual about who can come in. Because if these are my last weeks as a cafe boss, I want to end in style."