Did La Pataterie take advantage of the buzz surrounding the photo of an American? Its CEO responds

Gauthier Delomez 6:21 p.m., October 07, 2021

INTERVIEW

It's part of the magic of social media. At the beginning of September, Steve Olson, an American tourist passing through France with his girlfriend Mélissa, discovered La Pataterie, a French restaurant chain mainly established in medium-sized towns. This consumer, delighted with his dishes, shares his experience on Twitter by writing eight posts. The first is retweeted more than 26,000 times, which shines the spotlight on a French group usually discreet. In the program

, its CEO Sébastien de Laporte, evokes a month later on Europe 1 his "surprise" in front of this buzz and greets "an immense gift" for his collaborators.

ok, so, we're vacationing in France, and were looking for a place to grab some dinner this evening, and melissa found the most amazing place… @La_Pataterie, a french chain focused on potatoes as a main course.

AND IT WAS AMAZING (cc @darth) 1/8 pic.twitter.com/yIZ2WYqdWl

- steve olson (@steveolson) September 6, 2021

"He didn't know where to go, and he ran into La Pataterie"

It all starts on September 6, when Steve Olson and his girlfriend Mélissa share their taste experience on Twitter. Within hours, the post is retweeted hundreds of times. "He was in Arles. He was discovering France and in particular the Côte d'Azur. He did not know where to go, he looked on Google and came across La Pataterie. There he had an absolutely incredible experience," says Sébastien de Laporte. now in contact with this American tourist. "All the media grabbed it and for us, it was a huge gift and it happened at the right time," he adds.

Usually, the back-to-school period is fairly quiet for the restaurant chain.

"Not much is happening. Back to school has passed, the French do not have a lot of money and there, they said to themselves 'But La Pataterie, we pass every day'", continues the CEO which has nearly 80 restaurants.

The buzz introduced the channel to thousands of French people.

"We have seen a sharp increase in attendance, and in addition, it has started to get cold. The Pataterie, these are potatoes, so comforting dishes that go very well when it is a little cooler", emphasizes -he.

"We tell ourselves it's fun, and then it got carried away"

Sébastien de Laporte remembers the moment when he heard this buzz very well. "We were all surprised," he admits. "Me, it's just a friend who sent me a message with the Huffington Post article wondering what it was," continues the CEO. "We tell ourselves it's fun, and then it got carried away. It got so packed on Twitter that we lost our password. We ended up like idiots," smiles Sébastien de Laporte.

For him, this media rush is a "real gift for (his) 800 employees". The CEO welcomes this buzz as the restaurant industry goes through a crisis due to the measures taken to fight the Covid-19. "The sector has been doubly impacted, by the months of health crisis and because it is a difficult job. We have recruitment problems," he concedes. "We don't often think of collaborators, and here all the media are interested. We are also based in small towns, which is not really where the big national media come." To pay homage to the American couple, the brand has created a special dish, "Pom'au four Américaine".

This episode took place a few weeks after the restaurants reopened.

Sébastien de Laporte underlines a growth of 20% at the beginning of July, before a halving of attendance when the health pass comes into force on August 9.

"We have found our level of 2019", appreciates the CEO at the beginning of October, after "a month of air gap" between August and September.