Frank Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi, I am thinking of opening a small tea room and was wondering if anyone had any experience of this in France or could point me in the right direction to check out the legislation etc. All advice/pointers much appreciated, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 As the French believe tea is for medicinal purposes I think you may struggle to convince them and would there be enough custom from the UK otherwise unless of course you intend to sell medicinal tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suej Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Suggest you look at the site for the English run Café Cake at Le Lude.....nice little tea room/café which seems successful, lovely cakes etc and a rather fun Fish Chips and Peas offering on a Friday night. Maybe you could contact them ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTrash Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Advice - Go to your chamber of commerce and find out firstly about the hygiene regs, secondly about the different business régimes that you could register under, the taxes and charges etcPointer - Choose an area with a high concentration of Brits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Many thanks for the replies everyone. I never even thought of the chamber of commece! Will go see them next week, thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 All I can add is don't rush in, find a suitable location that would have the clientele and do plenty of homework on running a business in France - it is nothing like the UK and many small cafés and restos are struggling because of high horrendous social charges that have to be paid regardless of whether you have income or not and because the population are currently economising regarding treats such as meals out etc. You would do better in a large busy town or city or a popular year round holiday destination than out in the sticks where no one would use the place.Also not just tea but more coffee as tea english style is not popular in France and certainly not with milk etc.The rules for providing food and drink are very strict and for making your own cakes etc, they will want to inspect and insist you have proper equipment etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 If you are in a tourist area with lots of UK tourists then it may work, there are two around here that make a living.If not then it should be a salon de thé and not a tetley or yorkshire teabag in sight nor milk!Of the two mentioned above which are on the marked tourist trail one was always marketted as a salon de thé and only really succeeded once it started doing lunchtime meals for the French.I think tha most salon de thé's are in large metropoles with a big footfall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 You will have to follow a course in food hygiene in French.At least one of the staff has to be qualified http://www.lhotellerie-restauration.fr/journal/juridique-social-droit/2012-06/Obligation-de-formation-a-l-hygiene-alimentaire-en-restauration.htm?web=1You should also take a course in running a small business and get to know French taxes and social contributions as well as accountancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard51 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I picked up on Chancers comment that they only became successful when they started doing lunch for the French.I vaguely remember someone telling me that lunch is subsidised with tax advantages for French employers. A way of protecting the trade.Can anybody confirm that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 [quote user="richard51"]I picked up on Chancers comment that they only became successful when they started doing lunch for the French.I vaguely remember someone telling me that lunch is subsidised with tax advantages for French employers. A way of protecting the trade.Can anybody confirm that?[/quote]Well of course the voucher system is a tax-efficient way of paying people in France, IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Many thanks everyone for the replies. Thanks for the link NormanH, very interesting reading, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 [quote user="richard51"]I picked up on Chancers comment that they only became successful when they started doing lunch for the French.I vaguely remember someone telling me that lunch is subsidised with tax advantages for French employers. A way of protecting the trade.Can anybody confirm that?[/quote]My friend the roofer used to be given a few euros per day for lunch, is that waht you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 [quote user="Théière"][quote user="richard51"]I picked up on Chancers comment that they only became successful when they started doing lunch for the French.I vaguely remember someone telling me that lunch is subsidised with tax advantages for French employers. A way of protecting the trade.Can anybody confirm that?[/quote]My friend the roofer used to be given a few euros per day for lunch, is that waht you mean? [/quote]I think it is similar to the old luncheon voucher system. We had a similar system in Sweden and they were a non-taxable benefit . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 There are 2 "tea rooms" in Mirande 32, both run by french people.One is attached to a bakery, the other is in the main market square. I've been to that one several times, almost all the customers just have coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwmcn Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Frank,We have stopped here a couple of times when on holiday in Daglan. It has an email address, and was run by an English woman. I assume it still is.Davidhttp://www.lethevert.fr/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I notice Le Thé Vert is only open from May to September Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Over many years we've had various refreshments in many tearooms/salons de thé all around France, most of which had French customers having light refreshments and/or meals. A good number of our French friends enjoy places such as these too and drink tea, unlike us, which always seems to surprise French friends. Like others, I think any tea shop needs to be in a place where there are plenty of tourists.Whenever we go to Anduze to ride on the steam train to St Jean or vice versa or to the Bambousserie we've popped in to an English teashop in Anduze, Teapotes, which seems to do very well. They also have lots of other activities going on as well as serving delicious teas, ice creams, cakes etc; they have various tea-linked gifts on sale and a super seconhand bookshop upstairs, also book club, conversation groups, readings etc and a newsletter by email.http://www.tea-potes.com/english/browse.htmThere are quite a few salons de thé in our little town, which has a permanent population of around 9,000 but attracts a lot of tourists for most of the year. Chez Cerise is only open for part of the year (can't think of the name, but it's flowery) and does very well, with mainly French customers, apart from on Saturdays and in the summer months - we have big market which attracts tourists from a wide area and it's a pretty town too. We had a drink there a few months ago and were shocked at the size of the bill; we decided we'd think of ourselves as tourists for that afternoon.thers in townthat I can think of are: La Nougatine, Curiosi'thé, La Trop'uzienne and thereare several others; these are all open most days of the year and offer everything froma coffee to full meals. La Nougatine is very large, a bakers/cake shop, witheverything made on the premises and is open from about 06.30h till 19.30h;Curiosithéand La Trop'uzienne are much smaller and only serve drinks, snacksand meals, also open most of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwmcn Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Cendrillon,We are only in Daglan in June-July and it is a small town. Sarlat is not too far away.David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 David my comment was to make the point that a tea shop may not be able to make a profit if it opens year round unless it is in a very busy and popular place. It was really intended for the O.P [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwmcn Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Cendrillion,Daglan seems closed most of the year. The woman running the tea shop opened it becase she was bored.David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Many thanks everyone, lots to go on! Still in research mode, but I was thinking of keeping it very simple and along the lines of the very british 'cream tea' and nothing to complicated. So it''s head down and research, research, research. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 A friend of mine opened a cafe on the main street of a little Breton town. Although she thought she would be busiest for morning coffee and afternoon tea, it was actually lunchtime that she was working flat out, making sandwiches for many local French customers.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi Frank, do you intend this to be a full time money making business or a sideline or part time occupation. Cream teas will no doubt appeal to the British but whenever I am with French friends and suggest we have a coffee of tea they always decline a biscuit or cake to accompany the beverage. They don't seem to entertain the idea of eating between meals.[:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lehaut Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Different in these parts, coffee/tea and biscuits or cake is the norm. Cannot get the older generation to use plates thought, they prefer to take them off the plate and break the biscuits up on the table.Gateaux on a Sat/Sun afternoon is also a good alternative to a full meal. They even dunk those awful boudoir biscuits in the champers, sacrilege imo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Lehaut you are closer to the U.K. than we are so maybe that makes a difference[:)]Visiting two stately homes near St Malo last Summer, what we really wanted afterwards was a cup of tea (and maybe a cake!).................but no, they just don't do that, such a missed opportunity. However I suspect it's the red tape and licensing that prevents this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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