French BLOG
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“i hate gerard depardeiu”
“Lifted from The Guardian website this week:
Around 3,000 traditional French restaurants, cafes and bars went bust in the first three months of 2008 and unions predict a further rush of closures as people worry about making ends meet. The number of French restaurants going bankrupt rose by 25% from last year, and cafes forced to close were up by 56%.
Le Figaro's renowned restaurant critic François Simon said yesterday that French consumers' frugality had changed national eating habits and forced restaurant owners to the brink. Diners were now skipping the traditional aperitif, avoiding starters, drinking tap water, passing on wine and coffee and - at most - sharing a pudding.
The time French people spend on eating meals in restaurants has already gone down: in 1975, a lunch out would take an average of one a half hours. By 2005, it had fallen to 32 minutes.
And some comments, equally lifted from The Guardian website:
With regard to the lack of wine sales - perhaps, like in the UK, its no longer considered acceptable to pole up to your afternoon shift drunk? [Posted by: Shrike]
I 've just got back from France and I'm not suprised. A round of three pints was around the 15 Euro mark and the one time I did try to eat out I paid about 10 Euro for the worst ham and cheese 'toastie' I have ever eaten and a glass of coke. The staff seemed to struggle to hide their moods as well which didn't help... [Posted by: blub]
The wonder is not that so many French businesses have gone bust but that so many remain open. A French shop or restaurant is somewhere where the staff can socialise. Being pleasant or helpful to customers come way down the list. When Napoleon said the English were a nation of shopkeepers he was saying what he liked about them. [Posted by: Lepetomane]”
