Business · Companies · 5 hrs ago
French restaurants turn to social media to bring back customers
Restaurants in France are struggling as prices rise and customers have less money to spend.
Paris influencer Victor Habchi promotes empty restaurants to his more than two million followers, hoping to help them attract customers.
He has visited the Thai restaurant Erawan near the Eiffel Tower, whose owner says some evenings bring no diners and worries about staying open.
His posts helped triple visits to a struggling Japanese restaurant within weeks, and the dining room is now full.
Another restaurant, the Bistrot du lac in Bordeaux, drew hundreds of thousands of views after its owner appealed for support online.
That restaurant's viral boost lasted about two months, then faded, despite efforts to add takeaway sales and events.
Its owner now plans to shift toward fast food, while Erawan's photos and videos are due to be posted in the coming days.
Some French restaurants are using social media influencers to attract customers as they face falling business.
Paris influencer Victor Habchi visits restaurants he considers empty and recommends them to his audience of more than two million followers.
A Japanese restaurant he promoted saw its customer numbers triple within a few weeks.
A viral appeal by a Bordeaux restaurant brought a surge in business for about two months, but the effect later faded.
Restaurateurs are also trying lower-cost menus, takeaway sales and events to cope with the downturn.
- Who
- French restaurateurs, including Victor Habchi and restaurant owners Alexandre Tavand and Florian Largillière.
- What
- Some restaurants are using influencer videos and other social media posts to bring back customers.
- When
- The report was published on 21 October 2026. Some examples took place in the preceding months.
- Where
- Paris and Bordeaux, France.
- Why
- Restaurants are struggling with fewer customers and rising costs, while people have less money to spend.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Victor Habchi promoted a struggling Japanese restaurant, and its customer numbers tripled within a few weeks.
Bordeaux restaurateur Florian Largillière posted a video appeal for support.
The restaurant's business surged for about two months, then the effect faded.
franceinfo published its report on restaurants using social media to attract customers.
- Victor Habchi's audience
- More than 2 million followers
- Erawan restaurant
- Located behind the Eiffel Tower
- Erawan anniversary
- 46th anniversary planned for 14 November
- Japanese restaurant
- Customer numbers tripled within a few weeks
- Bistrot du lac viral video
- Hundreds of thousands of views
- Bistrot du lac surge
- About two to two and a half months
What people are saying
The idea was to offer support, to help artisans in a world that is quite complicated for restaurateurs, because all prices are rising and people have less money.
I wonder, will I make it to the end of the year? And in fact, we are celebrating our 46th anniversary on 14 November.
It has been four months, four months that you have been shunning us, that there have not been many people in the restaurant.
The restaurant did extremely well, like at the beginning, for two months, two and a half months. It lasted, then it ran out of steam.