How lingering inflation narrows down classic French cuisine

At Le Buillon Chartier in Paris, the perfect beef bourguignon recipe includes beef, carrots, wine, butter and “coquillets” – small macaroni-shaped pasta. Cook for at least 3 hours. And the price cannot exceed 10 euros, as it must be reasonably priced.

Since 1896, Belle Epoque Eatery has been a cheap French destination for Parisians. It is a noisy dining room with food that will energize the day, allowing people to eat less than what they earn in an hour.

However, in the storied history of Bouillon Chartier, it has not been difficult to keep costs down as much as today.

The factors that enter beef bourguignon, such as the lively staff of restaurants and chefs, as well as the electricity and wages of restaurants, are 30-45% higher than they were five years ago. He also reduced the margins for his family-owned business by up to 20% to maintain a stable price for Bouillon Chartier's bestselling dishes (approximately $10.80).

“The prices of everything that rose were essentially happening,” Jolie said on a recent weekday at the ninth Allendisment eatery in Paris, one of the city's three Bouillon Chartia locations. Nearly two blocks of lines formed by 11:30am, with doors open for the lunch crowd. “But our fight is always to provide decent meals at a decent price.”

The challenges faced by Joulie reflect the broader impact of sticky inflation across Europe. Euro area inflation rose to 2.4% in February after cooling last year. The European Central Bank cut interest rates for the sixth consecutive time on Thursday, but faces an uncertain path as military spending increases and potential tariffs cloud the horizon.

Inflation fell 10% from records after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the pandemic lockdown. Prices for energy, meat, dairy products, and even glassware and tablecloths aren't rising too quickly. But they are still stubbornly higher than before the inflation occurred.

The higher prices also denounce other European businesses, pushing energy-intensive commercial transactions, including factories and restaurants, to the brink. Homes across the country are finding that people trying to put food on tables have slightly soaked the prices of supermarket baskets.

In the Bouillon Chartier, these units are marbled throughout France's most iconic dish, beef bourguignon. Since the pandemic, the overall costs have almost doubled, Jolie said.

The price of beef he ordered from his longtime suppliers has risen three times, driven by the cost of feed and fertilizer, energy to operate the slaughterhouse and gas for tractors and transport.

Other ingredients have fallen from their peak but remain high, according to Insee, a French statistical agency.

Jolly's restaurant electricity bill surged from 500,000 euros three years ago to 1.5 million euros a year. Last year he was able to negotiate a lower contract, but that didn't make up for the loss. Wages, which account for about 40% of the price of beef bourguignon, rose 15-20% over that period as workers demanded higher salaries to accommodate inflation.

“Every morning I go and see the purchasing director and understand what you can buy,” Jolie said. “It's like playing the stock market.”

Le Bouillon Chartier started out as a popular dining room and became famous by The Chartier Brothers, which became famous in Paris more than a century ago. Eventually, white-collar workers were drawn to tourists who are now more swarming in recent years after the restaurant appeared on Netflix's show “Emily in Paris.”

In an age of uneven inflation, the Bouillon has become a culinary shelter from the cost-of-living crisis that overwhelmed the spending of the average French citizen, as it is known. The most expensive item on the menu is the steak flight for 13.50 euros, which is a third to half cheaper than a bistro or restaurant. In recent years, almost 12 cheap imitation bouillons have opened in Paris, attracting crowds.

However, Bouillon Chartier's popularity was not necessarily strong. The cheap dining scene in Paris ruled that eating habits changed until the mid-2000s, and that more people were drawn to fast food. When his father, a restaurant that he began as a waiter at a French bistro in the 1970s, rescued and rescued with his son, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Together, they run Groupe Joulie, a company that also includes 12 elegant Parisian bistros.

The duo has renovated the restaurant at the 9th Annual Allendentment, now a historic monument, and maintains the original decorations of the Art Nouveau Glove chandelier, wooden panels and red checked tablecloths. A giant mirror hung over a wall of snapping inspiration inspired by Balthazar, a lively French restaurant in New York City.

To keep prices down, Joulie needs to work on volume. He orders 1.5 tonnes of beef per week just for beef bourguignon plates in three bouillons serving diners of over 4,000 people a day. Customers spend an average of 20 euros per ticket.

If the price goes up too much, he drops some items from the menu. For example, the popular duck confit was attacked temporarily when it failed to maintain its price at 12.50 euros. And in early January, Jolly was forced to remove beef bourguignon for a week as beef prices rose. He has maintained the cooking cost of 10 euros for four years.

Mainly he chose to take a financial hit from the company's margins. “We are a family-owned company and we can do that rather than be seen by the stock market or investors,” he said.

“It worked up until now,” he added, gesturing to the diner's phalanx, sitting at his elbow, adorned with a giant fresco made by painter Drento in 1929, decorated with a giant fresco made to pay for his late tabs. Twenty waiters in black vests and white aprons swung around the table, taking orders and zipping them into the kitchen. Glasses were worn, silverware wrapped around, silverware decorated with paper coats of arms, and placed on paper covering the table where the waiter had written the bill with a ballpoint pen.

Despite the fuss, Jolie said the inflation scourge simmered beneath the surface for all the diners. His restaurant traffic, as well as restaurants and bistros around France, have been slowed after a post-pandemic surge. By the end of 2023, sustained high prices of energy and food had deepened the living crisis. Even at Bouillon, customers did not reduce their orders.

Ali Belquém and his longtime regulars, after eating beef bourguignon and And Willet, or tripe sausages, polished a chocolate mousse of 3.20 euros and washed it all out with the red wine of the house. “We don't eat out as much as we used to,” Belkasem said. Retireers living nearby are bonds, particularly for the last half of the year, narrowed down financially, with stubbornly high bills for electricity and food, clothing and gas.

“When they say inflation has decreased, that's not true,” Belkasem said. “The shopping basket for some items is up by 40%.” They were heartfelt and economical so they let themselves go for a midday meal at the Charutier.

Jolie scanned the dining room and turned to Belkasem as she paid her bill.

“The high prices hurt a lot of people,” Jolie said. “It's more important than ever to keep things affordable.”