Traditional brasseries in Paris's Place du Châtelet in the heart of the city, such as Zimmer and Sarah Bernhardt, have closed their doors. An image that harkened back to the sad days of Covid-19. The need for a QR code pass to access to this strategic area near the Seine, barricaded behind long fences, reinforced the comparison. Parisians and tourists were invited by police officers to continue on their way to the Notre-Dame Bridge, which was open to pedestrians, if they wished to cross over to the opposite bank.
In the run-up to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (OG) and Paralympics on Friday, July 26, Parisian restaurateurs have been gnashing their teeth at the restrictions on access to the banks of the Seine that have been in place since July 18. "The situation is catastrophic. Since July 18, in the grey zone where access is restricted, the drop in bar and restaurant traffic has been between 40% and 80%," said Frank Delvau, president of the Paris Hotel Industry Union (Union des Métiers et des Industries de l'Hôtellerie Paris-Ile-de-France). As a result, some establishments have closed, particularly on Saint-Île and Ile de la Cité, which have been sealed off entirely.
Establishments outside the secure perimeter have also been affected. "Over the month of July, my business is down 13%," testified Alain Fontaine, owner of Le Mesturet, a restaurant near the Place de la Bourse. "We've been feeling the pinch since Paris was literally sliced in two. We hadn't anticipated such a situation. On the contrary, we were counting on a high level of activity. But the usual tourists aren't here. They haven't come precisely because of the Olympic Games," he added.
Thierry Gardinier, president of the group that owns the two-star Le Taillevent restaurant in the 8th arrondissement, as well as the famous Drouant address near the Opéra, made a similar, rather bitter assessment: "We're seeing a drop in demand. We have had a very weak July, down 10% to 20% on 2023. The drop is even 25% to 30% for Drouant. This is a major setback. I think the Olympics are a fantastic event, but there have been anxiety-provoking messages for several months."
Delvau, meanwhile, pointed out that the office workers, who normally lunch in cafés and brasseries, have been in short supply. Companies have encouraged their employees to remote-work or take vacations. Added to this is the absence of congresses and business meetings during this period devoted entirely to sporting events. And this slump comes after "a month of May with extended bank holidays, then a month of June marked by rainy weather and a political situation not very conducive to consumption," according to Fontaine, who has not forgotten about the effect of inflation either.
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