Although Brussels has no lack of coffee shops, a new venue has been creating a buzz on social media. At GAT, located at a stone’s throw from Place Flagey in Ixelles, customers only get to see a concrete wall with a hole and an anonymous hand serving their drinks through it.
GAT, Dutch for HOLE, is no coffee shop like any other. Contrary to most other spots for coffee lovers across Belgium’s capital or even the globe, people can’t sit down in a hipsterish-looking interior to sip on their drink while having deep conversations with friends or making important work calls. Here, efficacy and anonymity are what it’s all about.
When looking for GAT, it’s no use looking for a cute window or a big signboard. Instead, the coffee place can be recognised through its concrete wall, on which customers can write while waiting, and a hole. Next to it, a QR code functions as a virtual menu and booking platform. Once the order is put in, visitors should expect their drink in a matter of minutes, served by the hand of an anonymous man who also happens to be the owner.
“I’ve been lucky enough to travel around a lot and pick up ideas along the way. I met someone in New York, and together we brought this concept to Brussels. When you open a new business, you have to be creative, and I think that’s certainly the case here,” the founder told Belgian news outlet VRT NWS.
Allegedly, the owner has been active in the hospitality industry for years. After gaining experience in locations including the Canary Islands, Barcelona, and Ibiza, he even had his own venues in Brussels. However, higher costs and tighter margins left him feeling frustrated about the industry. That caused him to come up with a new, innovative, and easily replicable concept. Expansions to cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, or even abroad could follow if GAT proves to be a success.
“People say, ‘What about human contact?’ Human contact exists everywhere else. I love talking to people. If someone wants to chat, I’m happy to. But here, the idea is efficiency. You grab your coffee and go about your day. The coffee has to be good. That’s the starting point,” the anonymous owner said in an interview with The Brussels Times.
As avid travellers might notice, the concept shares some similarities with other venues across the globe. Italy’s so-called buchette del vino, or wine windows in particular, have served as a source of inspiration.
Located at Rue Lesbroussart 67, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium, the space behind the wall only spans approximately 10 square meters. The menu features a range of drinks from cappuccinos and matchas to lemonades and coconut-based options. And with prices ranging from approximately €3 to €8, customers should expect to pay more or less the same as in any other coffee shop across Brussels.
