Despite inflation, some restaurants still offer the possibility of eating at low prices.
French people give TF1 their tips for enjoying a gourmet menu at the price of a bistro.
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Good plans
To find a restaurant where you can eat well without breaking the bank, everyone has their own technique. “I have an app, Mapstr, that allows me to list all the restaurants by price range”indicates a customer. “I work a lot with Instagram”explains another, when a third mentions “word of mouth” to find the right address.
For a lower cost bill, it is better to have lunch at midday rather than dinner in the evening. This is the case at Bistrot Bouille, in Lyon, where TF1 visited. “At lunchtime, there will always be a dish of the day or a set menu which will always be a little cheaper than that of the evening”, indicates a customer. In this restaurant, it costs 17 euros for lunch, compared to 25 euros in the evening for a dish with meat. Clément Verneuil, the manager of “Bistrot Bouille”, relies on the sidelines to find his account financially. “If we manage to have a great offer on a dish of the day, this inevitably leads the customer to have something else, for example a glass of wine, and then there is also generally coffee at the end”he declares.
The success of all-you-can-eat buffets
For people who prefer to have a choice, the all-you-can-eat buffet is suitable. “We can take what we want and have more if we want”rejoices a customer. “There is something for every taste”, notes another. The price is attractive: in a store offering Italian dishes, the all-you-can-eat service costs 16.90 euros, and even less than 10 euros for students after 1 p.m. The risk ? Not knowing how to stop eating.
The popular formula and brands of this type are flourishing in commercial areas, often on the outskirts of large cities. Matthieu Cochard, manager of an Italian restaurant belonging to the CBH group in Vénissieux (Rhône) aims for 150 to 200 seats per day. Enough to compete with fast food restaurants by focusing on fresh products such as cheeses cut in the morning, mozzarella which comes from Italy or tomato sauce made on site.
The CFA, “a great discovery”
Another solution to avoid breaking the bank: the apprentice training center (CFA). In the CFA of Gastronomy in Marcy-l’Etoile (Rhône), students in training prepare their CAP. The youngest are 15 years old. They are already in the deep end. “The primary objective is for customers to come and be as good or happier than in a normal restaurant”declares Julien Chetail, apprentice cook in this CFA.
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Restaurant: why do we pay less at lunch than in the evening?
The requirement is similar to that of a restaurant. Mathias, the chief instructor, ensures this requirement. “There are things to correct, they are still young, I’m just standing back and watching,” he explains. In the dining room, if the servers are a little hesitant on the plate, the result is in any case impeccable. “We really don’t have the impression that these are young cooks, it’s a great discovery”, welcomes a customer. The price is unbeatable for such quality of product: 21 euros per menu.
