Waiters and waitresses take on the challenge of walking two kilometres through the streets of Paris and finishing first without dropping anything from their tray.
After a decade-long absence, the iconic “Course des Café” (“Café Race”), formerly known as the “Waiters’ Race”, returned to the heart of Paris on March 24. While the name has been updated for inclusivity, the essence of the event remains unchanged. This revival, however, has a dual purpose: to combat plastic waste and to celebrate the art of service in the midst of a bustling café scene.
The event was also used to highlight a lack of staff in the capital’s hotel-restaurant sector. Stéphane Counelakis, a director at the LIPP brasserie, said the race was a way of promoting a profession “that for me is extraordinary”.
The challenge is a symbol of French service excellence, and requires waiters – all dressed in traditional white tops, black bottoms and aprons – to complete a two-kilometre loop starting at the Hôtel de Ville, walking as briskly as possible but not running, while balancing a tray. The aim is to achieve the best time while keeping the tray – which contains a glass of water, a coffee and a croissant – intact, without spilling or… indulging. At the finish line, judges check the level of the contents and the integrity of the tray.
The Course de Cafés – jointly organised by the City of Paris, Eau de Paris, the Union des métiers et des industries de l’hôtellerie (UMIH) Paris Île-de-France and the Groupement des hôtelleries et restaurations de France (GHR) Paris Île-de-France – saw more than 200 waiters and waitresses take to the starting line.
Men’s winner Samy Lamrous and speedy waitress Pauline van Wymeersch won their respective events, with Lamrous reaching the end line in 13 minutes 30 seconds while Van Wymeersch getting to the finish line in 14 minutes 12 seconds.
Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj (Deputy City Mayor in charge of trade), said:
The relaunch of this race … is aimed at promoting the excellence of French-style service in Parisian bistros and cafés, which is part of our capital’s intangible cultural heritage. The city is delighted to welcome back this race, which will remain a legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- Numeris Média is officially accredited media to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games