Will Parisian bistros and cafes have to get rid of the flowers that litter their facades?
The Paris town hall decided on February 9, in consultation with elected representatives of the opposition, to impose regulations on the subject.
It must be said that for several years a veritable deluge of flowers has been sweeping across Parisian terraces.
And for good reason, by attracting tourists looking for Instagrammable photos, this decoration can bring big returns: up to 30% additional turnover.
An APUR study published in January shows the expansion of the phenomenon
"last April, 325 establishments had decorated their facades in this way, notably in Paris Center (111 or 34% of the total), in the 11th (41 or 13% of the total) and in the 14th (31 or 10% of the total)”
.
Catering represents almost 70% of the businesses concerned even if the trend is also visible among sellers of personal equipment (6% of the total) and in florist windows (4% of the total).
The green dots represent the flowery facades present in the capital.
APUR study
“Retails in Paris in 2023”
“We’ve been talking about it for two years”
The time has therefore come to control this cumbersome flowering.
The measure was put to the vote by Boris Jamet-Fournier, member of Paris en commun.
The elected official noted with dismay the spread of these storefronts.
“In 2019, we had electric scooters everywhere in the streets and, since 2022, there are artificially flowered facades, so it was normal to start regulating”
.
To defend his proposal, Boris Jamet-Fournier puts forward the argument of aesthetics
: “It's not subtle, the colors are garish most of the time.
For a city with as much heritage as Paris, it changes the experience
.
He also adds
“the dangerousness of the materials, the cost of maintenance and the ecological criterion”
as reasons which pushed him to propose a charter.
For his part, Vincent Baladi, member of the Committed to Change Paris list, points out the slowness of the municipal majority to react on the subject.
For the right-wing elected official
“these installations are dangerous because they are found on sidewalks and roads”
which
also points to “an ecological aberration”.
If he admits that it is
“a wish of common sense”
,
“the city should have worked well before on these flowery storefronts, we have been talking about it for two years”.
The charter has not yet been drafted.
Boris Jamet-Fournier nevertheless admits that
“the idea is not to ban these decorations for traders but rather to find alternatives”.
Although there is no precise agenda, this charter will see the light of day in the coming weeks
“in consultation with professional organizations”, “the idea is to create a process, with upstream validation by architects so that the experience is as optimal as possible.
Also read: Dorian Tudeau, pastry chef to the stars and social media star
Professionals divided
This decision is shared by catering professionals.
Marcel Benezet, president of the Cafés, Bars and Brasseries Branch of the Groupement des Hôtelleries et Restaurations de France (GHR) is delighted with the decision.
The security risk generated by these installations particularly worries him.
“Beyond the aesthetic and ecological aspect, these artificial flowers worry me because they can cause sign fires.
In the event of a fire, firefighters cannot access the switch because the flowers cover it.
I am therefore in favor of regulating
. ”
The representative also shares his doubts about the economic aspect:
“we say that it brings in 10 to 15% more turnover.
Personally, I'm not convinced
. "
Conversely, on the ground, restaurateurs like Loki Nox and Bown Sent, waiter and manager at Chok Dee Café in the 9th arrondissement, express their amazement.
"
It makes no sense.
We should think about revegetating Paris before punishing traders because they are not “green” enough,
they declare.
Both deplore the commercial aspect that is at stake
: “It brings people back.
The city is sad.
We bring back a little color with our flowers
.
Among customers, the reaction is similar.
Sitting on the terrace, Clara is nuanced: “
Personally I am in favor of regulating things.
From there to banning, I think it's excessive.
We must help traders without trying too hard to punish them, as we do too much in France
.”
It remains to be seen what the charter voted by Paris town hall will contain.
Marcel Benezet suggests in any case making the subject an opportunity to work “
with products Made in France
”.
Boris Jamet-Fournier, for his part, suggests replacing artificial flowers with
“freeze-dried natural flowers to avoid adding kilos and kilos of plastic”.
Response shortly.