Foodmaker x Sportoase: Ten restaurants already to make "a healthy lifestyle more accessible"
- François Remy
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By inaugurating their joint restaurant last month in Sint-Niklaas, the healthy restaurant chain and the sports center chain reached a milestone: ten establishments in just five years of fruitful collaboration.
"People don't want diets. They want food that fits their lives," was the sentiment expressed at Foodmaker following a recent event held in Kortrijk. "That’s why we don't design products; we build daily routines: a bowl after a workout, a wrap between two meetings, a hot meal when you don't feel like cooking." Within the Belgian restaurant chain, this health value acts as a cohesive force. "No marketing gimmicks. Just real food, ready when you need it."
This dimension, in natural opposition to fast food, was already illustrated by the opening of the first Foodmaker Café, an "anti-McDo" offensive of franchisable "fast-good." But a partnership now entering its fifth year makes it perhaps even more tangible: the restaurants within the Sportoase complexes. This other Belgian chain, known for its wide range of sports facilities ranging from Olympic pools to "health clubs," has completed its health offering with nutrition in half of its locations.
"We want to make healthy eating accessible to everyone," Lieven Vanlommel reiterated on the occasion of his branch in the new Sportoase De Watermelon. The founder and CEO of Foodmaker had noticed a strong demand for "conscious" food in Sint-Niklaas, which he readily describes as a "sports city." By offering options ranging from an energetic breakfast to a balanced dinner, he believes he is helping to make "a healthy lifestyle not only more accessible, but also tastier."
Especially since visitors who are short on time after a workout can even take prepared meals home. "This opening in Sint-Niklaas reinforces our position as a leading health institution. Where we provide the infrastructure for movement, Foodmaker translates that healthy lifestyle onto the plate. It is a perfect partnership," reaffirms Michaël Schouwaerts, general manager of the Sportoase group and a passionate triathlete in his spare time.
