The waiters' race, an event born in 1914 in the streets of Paris, will return to the capital on March 24, after 13 years of absence and four months before the Olympic Games (July 26 - August 11).
“It’s the rebirth of a legendary race
,” said Dan Lert, deputy (EELV) for ecological transition and president of Eau de Paris, the municipal authority which took over the organization of the race, on Monday during a presentation. the race for a budget of around 100,000 euros, he said.
The disappearance of this since 2011 was in fact explained by the absence of a
“partner with a budget”
, explained to AFP Pascal Mousset, president of the Groupement des Hôtelleries et Restaurations (GHR) Paris Île-de-France .
Historically,
“the name belonged to Auvergnat de Paris, a professionally distributed magazine”
and which served as
“main sponsor”
, he explained.
“We’re having trouble reactivating it.”
Renamed
the “cafe race”
, the event will bring together 200 participants for a 2 km course in the Marais, starting and finishing at the Town Hall, indicated the deputy (PCF) for commerce Nicolas Bonnet- Oulaldj.
The communist deputy recalled the historical role of this popular race, born according to him in 1914 in Paris to
“highlight this French service, these establishments that the whole world envies us, this way of living in Paris”
.
Paris water, raw material for Parisian cafes
“We want the Olympics to be a positive dynamic for the profession
,” he said, seeing in the race a
“moment that will allow this dynamic to be launched
. ”
Apprentices or more experienced, waiters and waitresses, who have until March 20 to register, will have to carry on their tray, in addition to a croissant, a
“coffee and a glass of water not to spill”
and will be prohibited from run, said Dan Lert.
They will all wear
“a white top, a black bottom and an apron which will be provided to them”
, he also indicated.
“Paris water is the raw material of all Parisian cafes
,” recalled the president of the public authority, emphasizing its price of
“0.4 cents per liter”
and recalling that more than 1,000 businesses in the area capital had already committed to
“filling the water bottles of Parisians and tourists free of charge”
.