The story of Petit Futé, like many success stories, began on a corner of a table, when two students from HEC Nancy, Dominique Auzias and Jean-Paul Labourdette, decided to create a guide to list the “good deals” of the Lorraine capital. It was 1976 and this idea, intended for student consumers who were generally not very wealthy, quickly went beyond the student sphere and interested all the inhabitants of the city but also tourists who wanted to discover it. Today, Petit Futé is available in collections with different themes and several formats, in total more than 200 guides, but the best seller remains the CityBook faithful to the original line, a guide that has found its place alongside other publications more focused on gastronomy and heritage.
At Petit Futé, we test all year round
The CityBook Clermont has moved to the metropolitan level and the local team of Petit Fûté, made up of 5 people, works throughout the year on the 21 municipalities that make up the institution. “The addresses are systematically tested, we have a budget for that” explains Céline Lopez, head of the Clermont – Auvergne edition of Petit Futé. “We test all year round to, at the end, offer a selection of good addresses. We don’t test all the restaurants or places where you can go out, it’s a selection. The entire team lives and experiences in the area, which means that we know where we’re going. The information comes through different channels, families, friends, observation when you move around the city or by talking to colleagues. The sources are quite varied.”
A clear orientation towards street food
The Petit Fûté teams who are on the ground are excellent witnesses to the evolution of the commercial landscape and the world of catering. “This is an evolution that we are seeing, but not only in Clermont, this is what emerges from the feedback I have from my colleagues across France. There is a clear shift towards street food, which has two branches that are differentiated by quality. Moreover, very good restaurateurs, some of whom are Michelin-starred, have gone to this type of catering,” explains Céline Lopez. The team in charge of the CityBook can also take the economic pulse of the metropolis on a daily basis and report on the difficulties. “I think it’s not just due to Clermont, it’s really national, even if the trend is a little heavier here. We are still seeing the aftermath of the Covid crisis. It has changed mentalities a lot, people want to work differently. All this is changing the restaurant model. For our selections, we want it to be good, healthy, seasonal and well-crafted. We also look for a welcome, so that people can have a good time… and then there is the constant quality-price ratio” continues the publishing manager. The catering part represents about a fifth of the pagination of the Petit Futé.
Emergence of the concept store
“In terms of shops, in recent years, we have seen the emergence of the concept store which brings together in the same store lots of different products, well-being, children’s products, and even tea rooms in this type of shop. This is increasingly popular by responding to a demand in a world where things are unstructured, people are looking to meet up in places like these” notes Céline Lopez. The Petit Futé team remains attentive to the sustainable development aspect for both restaurants and other businesses. A florist who follows the seasons or a hairdresser who only uses ecological products are thus selected in the CityBook Clermont 2024.
The 2024 edition of the Petit Futé CityBook 2024 is on sale online but also in bookstores, newsagents and supermarkets that have a press area. Le Petit Futé is also a website with pages specific to Clermont.
