Is the economic crisis affecting the restaurant/bar industry in France?

By Samantha Frontera

I came up with this idea for my feature story because one of the first nights the group was there we had a girl’s night out and about eleven girls from the group. We went around the corner and saw a sign that said, “Martinis 5 Euros!” Well, of course we decided that we had to stop in at the Brasserie le de Cardinal.

When we walked in we were greeted by a very friendly woman named Diane—but in French it sounds like Dien or can be mistaken for Jen. She spoke amazing English and was very kind to my friends and me.

Since everything in Paris was very expensive, we felt we were getting a good deal, so we ordered champagne and some drinks off the menu with the special.

Of course, the drinks were way too tiny and we figured out why it was so cheap but there were attractive men bartending who knew a little English so we continued to order off the regular menu this time.

Everyone enjoyed themselves at the brasserie but I noticed we were some of the only customers there. I wondered if they weren’t receiving as many tourists since the euro is worth so much more than the American dollar. I even thought the advertisement was quite clever. I asked Diane if I could come back and interview her and told her I was a student journalist—she seemed thrilled to help.

I came back a few days later and it was a much busier evening and she said I could videotape inside the restaurant. She asked if I wanted to interview bartenders, servers, or managers—I said I would love to interview as many people as I could that spoke good English. I then interviewed her and our waiter, Christophe but it was much harder to interview him because his English wasn’t as good. Sometimes when I asked him questions he didn’t fully understand them so I’d have to find another way to ask.

Diane told me that the restaurant business is being affected by the economic recession but she tries to remain optimistic. She also said they have loyal customers who always come in.

The last day I was there I went to the Eiffel Tower to shoot a stand-up and met a man originally from the U.S. He said the restaurant business was most definitely being affected by the economic crisis and tourists aren’t coming as frequently or staying for shorter visits. He even said French people aren’t going out to restaurants as much anymore and are trying to cook meals at home instead to save money.