For Eddy Zouari, 59, life as a restaurant owner is over. He is still traumatized by the receivership of his last Parisian brasserie, which he opened at the end of 2020 in Paris's 17th arrondissement. The business could have been a success: a refurbished restaurant, a lively neighborhood, a 150-seat terrace and company and government offices nearby. On the menu were classic dishes, from burgers to Caesar salads, salmon tartar and rib steak.
But the rise of remote work and new customer habits turned his business plan on its head. "I only worked well on Tuesdays and Thursday lunchtimes. The rest of the time: hardly anyone," said Zouari, now a culinary teacher at a vocational high school. "Nowadays, people eat out less at lunchtime. They opt for €12 meal deals at the boulangerie. And when they do go to restaurants, they're very careful. One lunchtime, a customer just ordered an œuf mayo [egg and mayonnaise] and two baskets of bread! And when I asked him if he'd like a coffee, he said: 'No thanks, I'll have it at the office...' The little extras go out the window. But we restaurateurs make our margins on coffee, dessert or a glass of wine."
You have 82.72% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.