The popularity of traditional Chinese restaurants is on the wane in the Netherlands because they no longer suit the needs of modern consumers, according to a new report.

The number of Chinese-Indonesian restaurants has fallen by 250 in the last ten years, figures from hospitality advisory bureau Van Spronsen show, mainly because the restaurants have not moved with the times.

The décor and the rich and fatty food are no longer appealing to today’s need for healthy eating, the researchers said.

There are now some 1621 Chinese restaurants left in the Netherlands. One third of the failed restaurants are in Zeeland although the province still has 12 Chinese restaurants for every 1000 inhabitants, putting it at the top of the list.

‘Zeeland is above-average traditional, with fewer influences from big cities and a relatively big number of older people,’ the report said.

Another problem the restaurants are facing is to do with succession. Chinese restaurants are usually family businesses and Chinese entrepreneurs are now more interested in starting a sushi bar or an ‘all-you-can-eat’ restaurant, the researchers found.

Chinese restaurant became a Dutch high street staple in the 1950s. Experts expect their number will fall to 1,400 by 2020.