Purchasing power: restaurants now considered too expensive

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Terraces shunned by tourists . This lunchtime, customers are nowhere to be seen at these restaurants in La Grande-Motte (Hérault). This establishment has seen a drop in attendance, down nearly 25% compared to last summer. Eating out is no longer possible for vacationers as often as it used to be.

" We go to restaurants much less. We have boards at home and we cook for ourselves. That way, it costs a little less and that way, we can enjoy ourselves, come and visit the bars, have a drink, but not necessarily eat ," says a vacationer at the table.

But how can we explain this lack of love? Prices, in particular. Another establishment shows us behind the scenes of its kitchen, where the price of raw materials has skyrocketed. " Sea bream is 3-4 euros more, sea bass 3-4 euros, and turbot 6-7 euros more. The solution would be to only produce frozen products. But that's not our policy ," explains chef Dominique Colombel.

The increase is therefore being passed on to customers. The owner compares last year's menu to this year's. " For example, from 46, we went to 49. From 34, we went to 37. We can't continue like this because people's purchasing power doesn't increase like that, 10% per year and so on. At some point, they won't be able to anymore ," says Jacques Mestre, restaurateur and president of UMIH 34.

This is the case for a family of vacationers who chose to stay in their mobile home for dinner. " Here, we're at a little less than 30 euros for 6 people ," calculates David Sauvage, father. This year, only one restaurant outing for the entire vacation. " Just the main course is a minimum of about 15 euros. You multiply that by 6. It becomes very expensive. Then, everything increases, so the vacation budget is also a bit controlled ," he adds.

To save their season, professionals hope that tourists will return to their terraces.