Traditional restaurants in France are disappearing at an alarming rate, with about 25 closures every day. The crisis is blamed on rising costs and the Americanisation of eating habits, as small-town bistros give way to pizza and kebab outlets.
In Angers, western France, Mickael Moureaud runs L'Ange Vin, a bistro in an industrial park. He says customer numbers are down 10% year on year, and he often struggles to break even. “I feel like I'm working for nothing,” he says, citing a 10-30% rise in supplier costs for basics like minced beef.
Across France, profits for traditional restaurants fell from 11% of turnover in 2023 to just 3% in 2024, according to industry figures. Between June 2024 and June 2025, about 9,800 restaurants closed permanently, a 10% increase on the previous year. Average turnover dropped 22% as customers stayed away.
Many closures are in the traditional sector, replaced by fast-food chains or kebab shops. Even in prime locations, restaurants are struggling. Celine Viale, a union president, says the trend is worsening.
The decline comes despite the “gastronomic meal of the French” being recognised by Unesco as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. Owners like Moureaud, who has run his bistro for 20 years, fear losing everything.
