EP Business in Hospitality Issue 53 - April 2015

French cuisine | International
Thinkstockphotos.com
Food in France has always been a central
part of the culture. In France, one eats
and when you have finished, your only
thought is of what your next meal will be. Food is
more important to the French than to nearly any
other nation – everyone thinks they are a Michelin
inspector. This is a major problem when you run
your own business and try to please people.
People don’t tip, it’s all included in the price,
and that could be the cause of some problems
in the customer service. Having said all this,
let me now explain my statement that French
cooking is going ‘nowhere’.
I left France in 1975 and returned in 2011
having spent 36 years of my professional life in
the UK. I had forgotten that, in France, the real
roots of French gastronomy lie in regional and
local cooking. It has never been a trend or
fashion; it’s real, genuine and authentic and
each county is proud of their regional cooking
and wine. It lies within the soul of each province.
One of the new trends is the re-birth of
the ‘fait maison’. The French government
has even issued a new logo for restaurants:
‘Fait maison’, or ‘home-made’, promotes and
controls or ensures that a restaurant that says
it cooks everything on site does use fresh
produce to do so. There is no compromise.
Traditionally, brasserie food is society’s
central focus – good food and great value.
French gastronomy will always be the benchmark
for others to measure themselves against, as in
France it is not about clever ideas and innovation
but about real food that has exceptional taste.
All we need to improve in France is the concept
of service with a smile. There seems to be a lot of
focus on service across different sectors in France.
At last, we are seeing a step towards progressing
in an area where we do need to improve.
On saying all of the above, I am not blind to the
changes taking place. Like many countries, French
eating habits have been
shaken. With more
people travelling
the world and discovering new cultures, eating
habits are changing and people are far more
demanding. French restaurateurs in major
cities have had to embrace and follow this trend.
The situation is not the same in the countryside
where the majority of customers are still very
attached to their regional and local food, and
where tourists still want to eat French local
specialities and local wine – they want France!
The restaurant industry’s new word is
‘bistronomie’ – bistro food with an emphasis on
high quality products, texture and flavours. The
burger seems to be making a big comeback –
Burger King has announced great development
plans in France – and vegetarian, organic and
sushi restaurants are popular as well. The food
truck concept is just beginning to make its debut
but, in my opinion, it will very soon come to
saturation point in the major cities.
Another interesting and growing concept is
Class’Croute. Started 25 years ago, Class’Croute
addresses the restaurant market in major business
parks and offices. The restaurants provide
breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack from
Monday to Friday and are closed in the evening.
One of their mottos is ‘Good food is not a luxury’.
To summarise, I think in 2015 in France,
these trends will continue. Through food,
customers will look for different experiences,
new flavours and new textures. While eating,
customers want to travel and want to experience
going back in time to see old traditions. In
the current market, restaurants offering
exotic, authentic and quality cuisine with good
value for money will be the winners.
It was Mark Twain who, when he read of
his ‘death’, remarked, “The reports of my
death are greatly exaggerated.” It is the same
with French gastronomy. It will never die, as it
means so much in everyday life. It will have its
challenges but it will stay true to its roots, its
beliefs, the tastes that have made French food
stand apart for many decades and evolve.
French cooking does not need to change.
“
It is not about clever ideas and
innovation but about real food that
has exceptional taste. All we need
to improve in France is the concept
of service with a smile
”
epmagazine.co.uk | 27