Have your restaurant prices dropped?

[Chancer]

I am referring to the drop in TVA from 19.6% to 5.5% for restauration effective from the beginning of this month, have your local eateries dropped their prices?

I discussed this in advance with the patron of my neighbouring brasserie, he was visibly outraged that I would suggest that he used the opportunity to regain some of his lost clientele, he was firmly of the opinion that the money was his and well deserved, well today his customers have voted once again with their feet and the place is virtually deserted.

On the one hand I do feel sorry for him and his wife and dont want to lose the last commerce in this once bustling road, however they are their own worse enemies, the more customers that they lose the angrier she gets, and the ruder she becomes to those that remain. I suspect that alcohol is also playing its part.

The last flight of customers was when they raised the price of Le Menu from €11 to €12.50, I had advised them to change the formula or appear to offer something extra to avoid customers making a direct comparison but they stuck with what they knew. Immediately the number of covers dropped significantly so their answer was to raise the price again to €13, the price second rise in one month.

I feel that they have lost a real opportunity this time, they could have dropped the price to €11.50 and announced it as a formule anti-crise or whatever, kept their existing margins and regained lost customers.

I thought that it was the governments intention to boost the restauration economy in difficult times not recompense the owners.

What has happened in your area

[Scooby]

I've certainly seen no price reductions in my area. TBH when we are in France we don't eat out very often at all now.  I'm struggling to think of any restaurants where we are that offer 11 euro lunch time plat de jour anymore.  Most start at 16 euro + and the menus are often limited (3 choices starter, 2 choices of main course etc)...and don't change.  When you consider the exchange rate that's nearly £15 a head.  Our local (very pretty and old) pubs serve excellent lunch time meals for less than a £10 a head with extensive menus that change regularly.  Yesterday we went for lunch at a gorgeous riverside pub and had a very substantial main course and a pint of guinness for £8 (too full for dessert!)  We couldn't match that in France.

[Loirette]

You obvioulsy live in the wrong area.  We live in dept 72, but all around in 37 and 41 we can find some really good lunchtime specials - 4 courses from 11 euros to 13.50 euros (and some include wine).  The 13.50 euro menu is for really top notch food.

We have yet to eat out since the TVA reduction, but I am sure some or all of those we frequent will have lowered their prices.

 

 

[Scooby]

I think the worst we had recently was last week in Perigueux: 22 euros a head - for which we were expecting a good meal.  The food was very mediocre and the (cheap) small bottled beers we had with it were charged at 5.50 euros each.  The meal for three of us came to over a 100 euros!

[Gardian]

Haven't had time to check out the prices yet, but there was a recent survey done locally and published in the Midi Libre.  What some of the local places were saying was that they would selectively lower the price on some of their menu items, whatever that's supposed to mean.  I can only imagine they were suggesting some of the higher priced dishes on which their profit margin was already high.

What I do know is that the trade is having a tough time at the moment and probably needs all the help it can get.  We were staggered to eat at a really nice seaside resort restaurant the other day, which was virtually empty on a Friday lunchtime.  Nice place, excellent 3 - course menu for €14.90 and a cut above the steak / frites type of joint.

If it was my business, I'd make a virtue out of it across the board, either by re-printing my menus with the 'old' and 'new' price, or simply by reducing the total on all bills by 14% (or whatever the maths work out at!) 

 

[Tony the Turner]

We are going to find out when we visit our residence secondaire later this month (for the last time - the Compromis was signed last month). 

According to the website for our favourite restaurant, the Government has asked (but not required) that they reduce the price of 7 items on their extensive food and wine list.  They proudly boast that they will be reducing 22.  But when you look at the reductions, not one is a reduction of the whole percentage (ie 19.6% to 5%) and most are in the region of 5% to 10% but this is only on a very small selection of the total number.  The Government case for the reduction (which they put at length to the EU) was to encourage trade not to put money in the pockets of the trade for no extra effort or sales.  C'est la vie!

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Scooby"]  Most start at 16 euro + and the menus are often limited (3 choices starter, 2 choices of main course etc)...and don't change.  When you consider the exchange rate that's nearly £15 a head. 

[/quote]

So true. We get plenty of choice at around 11 to 13 Euros but when you convert it to sterling you often find yourself comparing it to eating out in the UK.

One place we use the patron normally throws in the coffees at no extra cost. We've yet to eat out since the TVA change (of which we knew nothing) so it'll be interesting to see if prices have been reduced.

[Chancer]

Flunch seem to have got it, they have grasped the nettle and launched a TV advertising campaign informing us that grace à the reduction in TVA they have reduced their prices, they show the €5.60 formule now costing €4.90 IIRC.

Their margins are unchanged but they will undoubtedly serve more meals at the lower price and clearly consider that the cost of publicising this message will be more than covered by the increased revenue.

The €22 meal mentioned earlier should by rights now cost €19.40, the drinks remain at 19.6% TVA, I am not sure how this will effect  menus complet including boisson. 

Will there be a revolt?

[Russethouse]

When VAT was dropped in the UK my hairdresser kept his prices the same on the basis that he had absorbed numerous cost increases.

Locally we can get two courses for £12.95, the bread is usually free, if we go to the Italien restaurant  they offer us a free liqueur, brandy or lemon cello .......

[Cluzo]

We had a burger at McDo's on the way back from the Airport at la rochelle on the first July and the cost  hadnt changed . Yesterday the 2nd  July had Moules at our local Moulerie still no change to price .

 Today 3rd we were having a Kir Cassis at our local Hyper U after the busy lunch time  ( well I was anyway ) and staff were rushing round changing prices and putting up big promotional notices - prices seem to have dropped by about a euro- well done Super U  ( not on my Kir though- shame )

[NormanH]

[quote user="Cluzo"]  ( not on my Kir though- shame )

[/quote]

It would stay the same, because as JR points out above the TVA on drinks has not been reduced.

[NormanH]

see

http://www.montpellier.maville.com/actu/actudet_-Baisse-de-la-TVA-Les-restaurants-sont-prets-a-jouer-le-jeu_loc-992333_actu.Htm

[Iceni]

No idea, we don't eat out very often and when we do it is usually fixed price at lunchtime. A saving of approx 11.8% (or a bit less as wine is included in the fixed price) will not sway us one way or the other. Our favourite place at Quatre Routes du Lot charges modestly anyway. His price in 2003 was €10 + €1 for coffee, then €11 inc. coffee and earlier this year was €12 and for this you can have

Soup, entree,plat du jour,large cheese board, dessert,coffee and as much red wine as you wish though it is Hobson's Choice except on days when the star turn is tripe or tete de veau.

For us the prices in UK or for that matter the rest of France outside our little patch don't matter, we don't live there.

John

 

[dragonrouge]

I was on the Ile de Re last week at La Flotte. One restaurant was totally empty. It had reduced its price of one dish of turbot from 47 euros to 42 euros and St Pierre from 38euros to 33 euros!