Garçons! Paris’s waiters battle it out in revived Course des Cafés
Ever complained about the slow service in a Paris cafe or restaurant? Your server may be able to get to your table quicker than they are letting on.
On Sunday, about 200 of the city’s serving staff donned traditional aprons and white shirts to take part in the revived Course des Cafés (cafe race).
Holding a round tray on which sat a typical French breakfast of a croissant, coffee and a glass of water, they set off at a brisk pace for 2km (1.24 miles) through the streets of the historic Marais district around City Hall.
The rules were simple: tray in one hand only; no running; and not a crumb or drop to be spilled. It was open to professionals, apprentices and parttime trainee servers and at the finishing line judges examined the trays to establish if everything had arrived intact.
The prize: the glory of being the fastest server in town, as well as a medal and a night’s stay in a swanky hotel. Samy Lamrous won the men’s race with a time of 13 minutes 30 seconds and Pauline Van Wymeersch was the top waitress with 14 minutes 12 seconds.
The race was first held in 1914 and known as “la course de garçons de cafe”,the then “garçons” being almost exclusively male. Waiters who took part were expected to carry a tray bearing a bottle and three glasses for 8km.
Similar events have taken place in Marseille, Trouville, Limoges and other towns and cities but the traditional race had not been held in Paris since 2011 because of a lack of sponsors. This year, City Hall stepped in and the city’s water authority Eau de Paris provided €100,000 for the trays, aprons, coffee and croissants.
Before Sunday’s event, Thibault Poullot, 26, the head waiter at Procope, known as the oldest café-restaurant in Paris, told France TV he would be taking part because “it’s a bit of fun and it’s a chance to represent our job”.
The event was also used to highlight a lack of staff in the capital’s hotelrestaurant sector. Stéphane Counelakis, a director at the LIPP brasserie, said the race was a way of promoting a profession “that for me is extraordinary”.
Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj, a deputy city mayor in charge of trade, said: “The relaunch of this race … is aimed at promoting the excellence of French-style service in Parisian bistros and cafes, which is part of our capital’s intangible cultural heritage.”
He added: “The city is delighted to welcome back this race, which will remain a legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, as the start will be given on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, from where the Olympic marathon will start.”