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Summary of our market study
The French traditional foodservice market is valued at between €30 and €40 billion.
The traditional foodservice market in France was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A gradual recovery has since been observed. The traditional foodservice market has a historic charm. Although it faces the challenges of modern competition and new food trends, it remains an integral part of French culture.
Independent restaurateurs control nearly 75% of the market's value. A smaller but significant share of the market is represented by restaurant chains.
Delivery services have grown during the pandemic, with 48% of restaurants integrating this service into their operations, and traditional caterers moving into niche markets such as organic or gluten-free products.
Home-delivered meals have also carved out an important niche, with around 60% of the population integrating this convenience into their routine after the pandemic.
The Île-de-France region boasts the largest number of traditional catering establishments.
The market is facing a major labor shortage.
Players in France's traditional foodservice sector
- Groupe Bertrand is at the forefront of networked catering holding companies.
- Agapes Restauration is another notable entity, with well-known brands such as Flunch and Pizza Paï.
- Le Duff France is emerging as a strong contender, particularly with its Del Arte chain of Italian restaurants and the very popular Brioche Dorée, which serves up quick French pastry delights and sandwiches.
- Buffalo Grill and Courtepaille are powerful brands serving traditional grills reminiscent of the French countryside.
- Sushi Shop has become increasingly popular
- Côté Sushi and Ninkasiparticipate in the sushi craze
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
Traditional catering is defined as table service catering, excluding bars, cafeterias and fast food outlets. [INSEE]
This sector is historically important in France, as gastronomy has a special place in the country's culture, despite the many obstacles to its development that are slowing its growth. In addition, the emergence of new competitors is penalizing traditional foodservice, just as fast food is driving overall growth in the French foodservice sector (you can find our study on thefast food market here).
Operating in a highly competitive and dynamic environment (with the development of online delivery), each brand needs to stand out from the crowd, relying in particular on the good reputation of its cuisine, its geographical positioning, positive word-of-mouth and intelligent digital communication that is sensitive to online reviews and ratings. E-reputation management and the digitization of business management appear to be potential growth drivers for the sector, particularly in a country where more than 2/3 of the population claim to pay attention to reviews and refuse to enter a restaurant rated below 3.5/5.
In addition, the Covid-19 epidemic had a major impact on the restaurant sector, bringing business to a standstill for several months. While the recovery is slow and gradual, it does highlight avenues for growth, as suggested by the success of delivery services, whose sales rose by 47% in the wake of the pandemic, and of takeaway sales during the confinement period. More specifically, some restaurants have decided, in light of the crisis, to strengthen their competitive edge by focusing on the quality of their products, for example by exploiting the growing success of organic, gluten-free or locally-produced products.
1.2 The global foodservice market dominated by the United States
In a global market worth around $*,*** billion by ****, the United States is the leading country for full-service foodservice, with sales of around $*** billion.
China ranks *nd in the market, followed by Japan, and is expected to experience significant growth over the next few years, with CAGRs of *.*% and *.*% respectively.
Global foodservice ...
1.3 The recovery of the traditional foodservice market in France
Unlike the fast-food sector, the traditional foodservice sector stagnated in France at the start of the last decade. Indeed, since ****, the traditional foodservice market has been worth around ** billion euros. However, from **** onwards, the sector saw strong growth, with the traditional foodservice market reaching **.*** billion euros in ****. In ****, the same growth ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The growing tourism industry
Prior to the health crisis, the number of foreign tourists had been growing year on year, reaching ** million in ****, with the resulting revenue logically following suit, at **.* billion euros in ****, +*.*% on ****. [***] France was thus the leading destination in terms of the number of international tourists in ****, ahead of Spain and the ...
2.2 Consumers and restaurant consumption habits
Out-of-home consumption
According to a FranceAgriMer study, in May ****, **% of consumers say they have ế visited a restaurant in the last * months. Of these, **% are women, and **% have no children. Nearly **% are between ** and ** years old. Furthermore, two-thirds of out-of-home meal consumers live in the center or outskirts of a city.
Age ...
2.3 French tastes in food and drink
What the French look for in a restaurant
Poll: What is your main criterion for choosing a restaurant? France, ****, in Source: ****
**% of French people choose a restaurant primarily on the basis of the menu and the type of cuisine offered, followed by **% who give priority to price, while personal recommendations ...
2.4 Home meal delivery on the rise
Over the past few years, and particularly since the first confinement linked to the covid-** crisis, meal delivery systems have been increasingly in demand, benefiting in particular from the growth of the fast-food sector. Successive confinements have familiarized the French with this system. A study by NPD Group shows thatbetween **** and ...
2.5 The new preoccupation of restaurateurs: maintaining their e-reputation
The decisive role of review-sharing platforms
Survey: Do you consult online reviews? France, ****, in Source: ****
It appears that more than * out of * French people claim to pay attention to reviews for the establishments they frequent.
More precisely, a similar proportion of French people refuse to patronize an establishment whose rating doesn't ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain and key market players
A restaurant's value chain begins with procurement, where the ingredients and products needed to prepare the dishes are purchased. Source: ****
Next, the products are transformed into dishes in the kitchen. This process involves the preparation, cooking and presentation of dishes according to the restaurant's quality standards and recipes. Kitchen staff play ...
3.2 Very uneven supply and population densities by region
A comparison of the number of businesses in relation to the population of the various French regions at the start of **** shows thatIle-de-France is the region with the most traditional restaurants, withgion with the most traditional restaurants, with **,*** establishments, but Corsica has the most in proportion to its population (***). France counted ...
3.3 Economic and financial performance of traditional catering establishments
Failure rate
The default rate is measured as the number of business failures in the sector under consideration, as a proportion of the total number of businesses in the sector.
In the French hotel and catering market, this rate peaked at *.*% in ****, subsequently falling to *.*% in ****. This figure is particularly high ...
3.4 The different restaurant chains on the French market
Although **% of restaurateurs are independent, the remaining **% operate under brand names or are franchised, and account for around **% of sales [***]
The following table gives an overview of the main restaurant chains in France. It also includes fast-food chains and institutional catering.
Source: ****
3.5 The meal voucher market: a constant battle for restaurateurs
A situation of oligopoly exerting pressure on restaurant margins The French Competition Authority recently issued an unfavorable opinion concerning a possible cap on commissions charged by meal voucher issuers, responding to a government request. This decision comes despite long-standing calls from restaurateurs and retailers to limit the influence of major French ...
3.6 Bringing about changes in the restaurant value chain to meet consumers' environmental requirements
Consumer expectations when it comes to out-of-home catering have evolved considerably in recent years, with the emphasis on the quality, traceability and environmental impact of food products. A recent study shows that **% of French people recognize the direct influence of their diet on their health, motivating a change in their consumption ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A wide range of kitchens in France
France's seated restaurant offering is characterized by a diversity that reflects not only the country's gastronomic history, but also contemporary developments in consumer expectations. Traditional restaurants, such as brasseries and bistros, are omnipresent in the French culinary landscape. Brasseries, often located in the heart of towns and villages, offer a variety ...
4.2 Consumer price index
The consumer price index is the tool used to measure inflation in a country. [***] Published monthly in the Journal Officiel, it estimates price trends for various household consumption sectors, whose list and weighting for the final index are available on the official site of the iNSEE website.
The CPI for a ...
4.3 New management tools for restaurateurs
Lately, a number of technologies are making their appearance on the French restaurant scene, according to a **** study by EHL Insights:
Online ordering systems and delivery apps Online meal ordering and "contactless" delivery services have become indispensable for restaurants, particularly under the impact of regulatory and health restrictions. This trend is ...
4.4 Recruitment issues in the foodservice industry:
Recruitment is a growing problem for restaurateurs, so much so that some are finding themselves having to turn away customers due to understaffing. In the midst of turbulence, and just a few weeks away from the summer season and the Paris **** Olympics, the restaurant sector is struggling to recruit. Today, ***,*** jobs ...
5 Regulations
5.1 General regulatory framework for the traditional foodservice market
The rights and obligations of restaurant professionals are summarized in a practical fact sheet drawn up by the Direction Générale des Entreprises.
In terms of signage, they are required todisplay their prices both inside and outside, and since ****, restaurateurs have also been required to display the "home-made" logo or ...
5.2 Payment by luncheon voucher
The French Labor Codethe French Labor Code stipulates that all employers are obliged to provide a catering service when their company employs more than ** staff, i.e. one of the following solutions:
Distribution of luncheon vouchers Setting up a company catering structure Setting up an inter-company restaurant
There are no specific ...
5.3 Waste management
Since ****, restaurateurs, school canteens and food shops that produce more than ** tonnes of waste per year have been obliged to sort and recycle food scraps. Failure to comply with the law carries a €**,*** fine and * years' imprisonment.
In addition, the French Food Law of November *, **** requires on-site catering professionals to provide ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Agapes Restauration
- Le Duff Groupe
- Buffalo Grill
- Courtepaille
- Autogrill
- Hippopotamus (Bertrand Groupe)
- Flunch
- Frères Blanc (Bertrand Groupe)
- Côté Sushi (ETLB Franchiseur)
- Boréa
- Convivio Groupe
- Newrest
- Dupont Restauration
- Bertrand Groupe
- McDonald’s France
- Pizza Hut (Yum Brands Group)
- Holder Groupe
- Areas France
- La Boucherie - Baudelaire groupe
- Zenchef
- Alain Ducasse Groupe -De Gustibus
- Paul Bocuse Groupe - Institut Paul Bocuse
List of charts presented in this market study
- Global foodservice market size
- Size of the traditional foodservice market
- Monthly sales indices for traditional restaurants
- Number of international tourists
- Breakdown of tourist spending (residents+foreigners)
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Latest news
The French fast-food craze - 30/05/2024
- - Sales of restaurant chains (including fast-food outlets) in 2023: over 20 billion euros.
- - Industry sales growth between 2022 and 2023: 8%.
- - Increase in fast-food sales between 2019 and 2023: 30%.
- - Number of McDonald's restaurants in France: over 1,500.
- - Number of McDonald's restaurants opened per year: around 30.
- - Number of daily McDonald's customers: around two million.
- - Sales generated by burgers in France in the year leading up to 2023: nearly 9 billion euros.
- - Number of Burger King restaurants in France since its return in 2012: nearly 500.
The French craze for celebrity chain burgers - 24/04/2024
- **McDonald's presence**: 1,560 restaurants by early 2024, sales in excess of 6 billion euros.
- - **Burger King presence**: More than 520 restaurants in mainland France, with another 50 planned for the year, sales of 1.9 billion euros last year.
- - **Burger market trends** : - Sales volume in 2023: 1.5 billion products in foodservice.
- - 16% increase over 2021.
- - Down 3.5% on 2019 (before COVID).
- - Average price in 2023: 12.02 euros, up 10.4% on 2021.
- - Average price in fast-food restaurants: 6.6 euros.
- - Average price in high-end restaurants: 20.4 euros.
Bakery: Le Duff swallows Dutch Pandriks - 17/04/2024
- Acquisition of the Pandriks group by Bridor, a subsidiary of the Breton giant Le Duff.
- - Pandriks employs 400 people, based in Meppel (Netherlands) and Fulda (Germany).
- - The aim of the acquisition is to expand Bridor's range of organic products and strengthen its positions in Northern Europe.
- - Bridor has already made acquisitions (Panidor in Portugal and Le Coq Cuisine in the United States)
- - Le Duff sales: from over 2 billion euros five years ago to 2.7 billion in 2023.
- - With the integration of Pandriks and its annual sales of 150 million euros, Le Duff expects to total nearly 3 billion euros in 2024.
- - Bridor is part of the industrial branch of the Le Duff Group, which also includes Cité Gourmande and Frial.
- - Le Duff aims to create a world leader in premium meals.
- - Le Duff employs 19,000 people worldwide.
Catering: La Boucherie group changes its identity - 15/04/2024
- - Year La Boucherie (now Groupe Baudaire) was founded: 1987
- - Founder: Bertrand Baudaire
- - Number of banners brought together by Groupe Baudaire: 7
- - Sales in 2023: 168 million euros
- - Number of stores in France: 230
- - Number of employees: nearly 3,000
- - Number of Courtepaille restaurants acquired: 87
- - Group brands:
- - La Boucherie
- - Courtepaille
- - Poivre Rouge
- - Le Bistrot du Boucher
- - Butcher's Kiosk
- - Mister Döner
- - Constant beer and food bar -
- Expansion plans: - A dozen new Kiosque du Boucher openings - Installation of a third Constant beer bar
The Courtepaille turnaround - 11/03/2024
- Acquisition of Courtepaille by the La Boucherie group in June 2023.
- Number of branches retained: 10 out of 140.
- Total number of establishments after reorganization: 77, with a majority of franchises.
- Network stabilization target: around 80 franchises.
French Tech: Zenchef completes its 3rd M&A deal in a year | Zenchef completes its 3rd M&A deal in a year - 29/02/2024
- Zenchef has completed its third M&A operation in a year, integrating Belgian company TableBooker, which has 3,000 restaurant customers.
- The new entity now has 19,000 restaurants across Europe.
- Zenchef has 242 employees.
- German competitor Quandoo has 18,000 restaurants in 12 countries.
- Another competitor, The Fork (formerly La Fourchette), works with 60,000 restaurateurs worldwide.
- Zenchef has a strong presence in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and is now entering the German market.
- Zenchef acquired start-up Billie in 2021. PSG Equity, which acquired a majority stake in 2022.
- The company expects to become profitable in June 2024.
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The foodservice market | France
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