Coffee Shop Surge Threatens Local Bistros: One Opens Daily!

This noon, you’re lunching with your best friend. After trying out the new Italian restaurant near your office, you decide to grab a coffee. With still a good half-hour before heading back to work, you’re determined to savor these precious moments to the fullest. But on the street, the choices overwhelm you: a chocolate mousse bar, a microbrewery, and two Pilates clubs offering matchas… After a 5-minute walk, you finally spot a somewhat welcoming terrace. Great, there’s even sunshine—perfect for a chat! “Two Americanos, please,” you ask the waiter, who quickly serves the much-desired cup.

This isn’t just a one-off experience; it’s a genuine societal phenomenon, one that reporters at Le Parisien have explored. In a detailed report, they delve into the reasons behind the gradual disappearance of cafés, or more precisely, what are known as “Parisian bistros.” These are the places where one could still get a coffee for one euro, served directly at the counter. According to the Paris Urban Planning Workshop (Apur), there were over 10,000 of these in the capital in 1950, compared to fewer than 1,000 today. The rise of fast food, fueled by social media, draws more and more hurried (tele)workers. Apur adds that “this decline is due to economic difficulties related to the health crisis and declining attendance due to inflation,” but also to the emergence of a new type of business flourishing in all the trendy neighborhoods…

“The bistros also suffer from the poor coffee and bad wine that some have served for too long,” admits David Zenouda, a restaurateur and vice-president of the Union of Trades and Hotel Industries of Paris-Île-de-France, in an interview with Le Parisien. One of the main competitors to traditional bistros comes from… coffee shops! Those places where you can grab a hazelnut syrup latte or a vanilla matcha to go, in a stylish cup.

Today, there are no fewer than 1,400 coffee shops in Paris. Although they’re noticeable, they’re not overwhelming, given the small size of most of these new spots. Surprisingly, there are currently more coffee shops than bistros in Paris! “Last year, one was opening every day in Paris,” notes the journalist in an episode of Code Source, Le Parisien’s podcast.

And it’s true: in many traditional bistros, the coffee isn’t particularly tasty. What’s savored instead is the ambiance: the gossip of two students at the next table, the jokes from the waitstaff, the lively group conversations. Whereas in coffee shops, specialty coffee spreads its rich aroma in a calm and well-decorated space, but is often taken to go. Hopefully, these two types of businesses can coexist peacefully…