Founded in 1686, Le Procope, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, is the oldest café-restaurant in the capital.
From the French Revolution to the 18th century and beyond, it has hosted great names in French history.
Today, its staff bear witness to this historical wealth to customers.
It is quite simply the oldest café-restaurant in Paris.
Her name ?
The Procope.
His location ?
The 6th arrondissement of the capital.
The establishment owes its name to its founder, an Italian waiter who came to make his fortune in Paris called Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli.
Founded in 1686, the place has welcomed the greatest French intellectuals such as Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu or even Diderot and d'Alembert.
Everyone has passed through this literary café, a monument in French history, and left their mark there.
"You should know that Diderot and d'Alembert wrote there some of the extracts from the 'New Encyclopedia' which still exists. Voltaire left his small office. Rousseau also left his office", says Éric Giroud-Trouillet, director of the establishment, on Europe 1.
A HQ of the French Revolution
In more than three centuries, the owners have succeeded one another.
Today, the Procope belongs to the Bertrand group.
Éric Giroud-Trouillet assures him, this owner "hasn't changed anything", aware of the importance of "perpetuating" the spirit of this historic establishment.
The boss knows it well: his customers come "for the History", "the decor" and "traditional French cuisine".
"Today, people are history buff. They like to learn why they eat here and who's gone where they are," he explains.
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Because beyond receiving the large feathers of the 18th century, the Procope was also a HQ during the French Revolution.
Danton, Marat and Robespierre organized their political meetings there.
"It was a place where we came to get information. We came to comment on political and social facts. Marat published his first gazettes there, so we rang the Marat bell and we came to read the first gazettes. It's a place. where one could freely converse to advance the theories, the ideas of the France of tomorrow. It all started there, "enthuses the owner of the place.
"Important, today, to transmit the history of France"
The 73 employees of the establishment strive to tell this story to their customers.
"Our staff has been trained to pass on knowledge of French history for 300 years," says Éric Giroud-Trouillet.
"Each customer who eats with us, we show him around, we explain to him. It's important to pass on the history of France and people come for that."
To continue disseminating this knowledge, Le Procope makes a point of not offering too prohibitive prices.
The lunch menu is € 24.90.
"Everyone must come home"
"Le Procope is a nice place where everyone has to go. Everyone comes back. It's a brasserie, a bistro, a café", insists its director.
"It is important to transmit and continue to convey this restoration."
Health crisis obliges, it serves 150 covers day, against 520 usually.