Communities in France seek to preserve rural café-bistros
In France, local communities are seeking ways to preserve rural café-bistros that are closing amid a decline in the rural population, changing leisure habits and a shortage of people willing to run such establishments. In the village of Saint-Martin-sur-Ouanne in northern Burgundy, the Au Bon Accueil bistro resumed operations after an eight-month break. It became the only establishment serving visitors in the village after the bakery opposite closed eight years ago, The Guardian World reports.
Local authorities spent €25,000 on necessary work before the establishment reopened and advised its new manager, Letellier, on starting the business. The village mayor and farmer, Hervé Chapuis, said that residents come to the café every day to drink coffee and socialize.
Closure of establishments in villages
According to estimates cited in the article, about 500,000 café-bistros operated in France in 1900, and by the 1960s more than half of them had closed. Today, approximately 30,000 to 40,000 such establishments remain in the country; reports say they are closing at a rate of about two per day.
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Alain Fontaine, president of the French Association of Bistros and Cafés, believes that the closure of such establishments increases the isolation of rural residents, especially older people. The article cites a declining number of people in villages, the habit of spending more time at home in front of televisions and gadgets, and reduced alcohol consumption—from about 200 litres per person in the 1960s to around 80 litres today—as reasons for this trend.
Volunteers and municipal support
In the village of Camplong in the Hérault department, the historic Le Grand Café, which had been run by one family since 1898, reopened in September 2025 after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Solène Joucla and her sister Catel created an association to support the establishment with volunteers, as finding a new manager in a village of 220 residents proved difficult.
A report submitted to the French Senate in 2023 recommended easing regulatory requirements for small rural café-bistros, hotels and restaurants. The 1,000 Cafés association, established in 2020, helped communities with populations of fewer than 3,500 preserve or open cafés. The organization worked in more than 300 communities, including by supporting establishments that sell essential goods or accept deliveries of online orders.
