Het Vliegende Paard

What Het Vliegende Paard does

Het Vliegende Paard is a privately-held student eetcafé (eat-café) and event venue founded in 1998 and operating from a single monumental building at Voorstraat 17-19 in the historic city center of Zwolle, Netherlands. The business serves primarily university students — predominantly from nearby Windesheim university — alongside student associations and corporate groups, and positions itself as "de grootste studentenkamer van Zwolle" (the largest student lounge of Zwolle). The venue spans multiple floors with seven distinct programmable rooms (Joy, Theatercafé, Kelderbar, Heerenkamer, Achterbar, Gouden Kooi, and two meeting rooms) totaling roughly 250+ m² and capacity for 120+ guests at peak.

The offering layers a core F&B operation (a daily kitchen open 17:00-20:00 serving burgers, pasta, curry, salads and 100+ specialty beers) on top of which sit room-rental, buffet, drink-package, token, BBQ, and Build-Your-Burger add-on modules priced at student-discounted rates (e.g., €14-19.50 for buffets, €20.50-29.50 for 2-4 hour unlimited-drinks packages). The venue also runs a structured weekly event program in partnership with external promoters, offers a Gastenpas loyalty/membership card for association members, and operates a co-developed corporate-events vertical with GroepsUitjesZwolle for team building and meeting bookings. There is no proprietary technology; the digital stack consists of a Wix-hosted marketing site, an inquiry-based booking form, social media channels (Instagram, Facebook), and a Spreadshop merchandise webshop.

Revenue is generated transactionally through on-premises F&B sales, paid room rental for non-students, group-buffet and drink-package bookings, Gastenpas subscriptions, and corporate-event contracts; the company is privately held with no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no public ownership structure (KVK 74612476). Marketing runs through Instagram, Facebook, the website, and embedded student-organization networks — operating under a community-led GTM motion anchored by home-base partnerships with 20+ student associations and study societies.

Name

Het Vliegende Paard

Legal name

Het Vliegende Paard

Website

https://hetvliegendepaard.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Het Vliegende Paard is a privately-held Zwolle student eetcafé and event venue (since 1998) operating from a single monumental city-center building with seven rooms, serving primarily Windesheim university students and 20+ student associations via affordable F&B, room rental, group buffets, drink packages, and a weekly event programming calendar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from serving food and beverages including beer, cocktails, coffee, and meals. The eetcafé is open 7 days a week with kitchen operating 17:00-20:00 daily. Menu includes burgers, pasta, curry, salads, and daily specials.
2. Zaalhuur (Room Rental): Revenue from renting event spaces and meeting rooms. Students receive free room rental; non-students and businesses pay rental fees based on the space, guest count, and optional arrangements.
3. Event Hosting & Private Parties: Revenue from organizing and hosting events including themed nights, pub quizzes, live music, dance events, and private party hosting. Complementary to room rental and food/beverage sales.
4. Gastenpas (Guest Pass Membership): Members of student associations can apply for a guest pass enabling easy payment at the bar and providing discounts. Serves as a loyalty mechanism for affiliated student organizations.
5. Corporate Events & Team Activities: Business segment revenue from company events including meetings, team building activities, staff parties, and receptions. Partnership with GroepsUitjesZwolle for comprehensive team activity programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Het Vliegende Paard is a student-focused eetcafé and multi-room hospitality venue in Zwolle's city center that operates seven days a week, serving affordable meals (burgers, pasta, curry, salads, daily specials) and a 100+ specialty beer selection. The business also rents seven distinct event spaces (free for students, fee-based for non-students) and books catering arrangements (buffets, drinks packages, BBQ, Build Your Burger), weekly activity programming, corporate team-building and meeting packages.

Product overview

Het Vliegende Paard is a student café located in Zwolle's city center, functioning as the largest student lounge in the city. The venue operates a core eat-café service (Eetcafé) open 7 days a week for affordable dining. It offers multiple rentable venues (Zaalhuur) including Joy, Theatercafé, Kelderbar, Heerenkamer, Achterbar, Gouden Kooi, and meeting rooms, with free access for students. The business model centers on supplementary add-on modules including food and drinks arrangements (Eten & Drinken Arrangement, Buffetten), drinks packages (Borrelarrangementen, Onbeperkt Drinken, Consumptiemunten), and activity programs (Activiteitenprogramma with weekly events). Additional services include meeting packages (Vergaderarrangementen), teambuilding programs, guest passes (Gastenpas), and Build Your Burger DIY dining. The company also provides corporate event services for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive customer reviews highlighting friendly staff, cozy atmosphere, and affordable prices
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GroepsUitjesZwollecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with GroepsUitjesZwolle enables Het Vliegende Paard to offer complete team building programs and group activity packages. Activities include city games in Zwolle's downtown, pub quizzes, murder mystery dinners, and other organized group events. GroepsUitjesZwolle provides the activity programming while Het Vliegende Paard supplies the venue, catering, and hospitality.
• Studentenverenigingen NetworkcoreOthersHet Vliegende Paard serves as home base for multiple student associations and organizations including Absens Carens, Gumbo Millennium, Ichthus, and Navigators Zwolle. These organizations drive regular student traffic and use the venue for their social activities and events.
• Studieverenigingen NetworkcoreOthersStudy associations Vestuvalo, Carpe Divitias, and Waltertje use Het Vliegende Paard as their home base. Peer2peer and other study organizations also maintain affiliations with the venue for activities and gatherings.
• Political Youth OrganizationsminorOthersVarious political youth organizations including JOVD, Jonge Socialisten, CDJA, Nervi, Dwars, and JFVD maintain presence at Het Vliegende Paard, contributing to the diverse student community atmosphere.
• Kleurrijk EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent promotion partner for Friday dance café events. Kleurrijk Events promotes their events on Instagram and drives attendance to the venue's weekend programming.
• Spleen EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent promotion partner for Friday dance café events. Spleen Events organizes and promotes events at Het Vliegende Paard, contributing to the entertainment programming.
• Het Gilde ZwolleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal music organization that presents musicians at Het Vliegende Paard for Wednesday live music events. Their monthly jam sessions feature local musical talent performing at the venue.
• WindesheimminorOthersWindesheim university logo appears on the website indicating partnership or affiliation. Students from Windesheim constitute a significant portion of the student customer base.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• La Place: Dutch casual restaurant chain offering buffets, drinks, and meeting-friendly spaces. Comparable as a broader Dutch hospitality incumbent with food, buffets, drink packages, and group/corporate bookings similar to Het Vliegende Paard's arrangement menu.
• Bagels & Beans: Dutch café chain serving food, coffee, and light meals across multiple locations. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the Dutch casual café segment with similar student/young-adult customer base, but operating at chain scale rather than a single hub.
• Espresso House: Pan-European café chain serving coffee, food, and casual meetings with a strong footprint in the Netherlands. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the casual café/eetcafé category with similar student and casual-dining traffic.
• Starbucks: Global coffee and café chain with extensive Dutch presence, competing for student and casual daytime traffic. Comparable as a broad incumbent setting consumer expectations on price, convenience, and meeting-friendly environments in the same addressable student customer base.

Direct peers

• Proast: Student café and event venue at the University of Amsterdam's Roeterseiland campus. Directly comparable as a university-anchored eetcafé serving students with food, drinks, and room rental, targeting the same persona as Het Vliegende Paard.
• The Bulldog: Amsterdam-based café chain with strong appeal among students and young adults. Comparable as a multi-location Dutch café/eetcafé operator with food, drinks, and event programming, although its core product differs (cannabis-friendly heritage).
• De Kargadoor: Long-running cultural and student café in Utrecht, combining food and beverage service with event programming and association use. Directly comparable mid-size Dutch city student café with a similar food + events + room rental mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HetVliegendePaard
• Instagraminstagram.com/hetvliegendepaard
• Xx.com/vliegendepaard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/het-vliegende-paard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Het Vliegende Paard