"Before, we had a lot of people": with inflation, kebabs in full crisis

Romain Bitot, edited by Yanis Darras 09h51, March 23, 2023

Are kebabs endangered? While fast-food closures have more than doubled in one year, in the face of rising commodity prices, the famous kebabs have no choice but to increase their prices, if they do not want to close down.

Prices that explode...

In Paris, armed with his small electric saw, Zanko scrapes his branch of meat. He has been making homemade sandwiches for 11 years. And since the beginning of its activity, the kebab-fries formula has increased from 6 to 10 euros. "Everything has tripled," comments the restaurateur. "Salad balls, for example, used to be displayed at 99 cents. Now it's more like 2 euros, 2.50 euros. Bread has taken 20% to 30%," he continues.

So, faced with rising prices, Zanko estimates that he has lost about 20% of these customers. "There are students, but not as many as before. Before, we had a lot of people. But now prices have gone up. We were forced to increase them, like all restaurateurs," he regrets.

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... Towards a dish "a little bobo"

But regulars are still queuing in front of his restaurant. Sven, a student, recognizes the kebab at 6 euros, it no longer exists. "I have the impression that we are moving from a popular dish to dishes a little bobo, a little trendy," says the young man.

So, in the Zanko establishment, we now rely on quality and homemade to attract the counter, even if it means changing customers. Behind the counter, active thirty-somethings are gradually replacing tight budgets.