Near the Olympic sites, businesses are delighted and ready for the Paralympic Games

After the success of the Olympic Games, businesses near Olympic sites are eagerly awaiting the Paralympics.

The Olympic Games ended on Sunday, August 11. For two weeks, the city of Paris was transformed to best accommodate the many tourists who came for the events. Some businesses were operating at full capacity, particularly those located near the competition venues. For them, the day after the closing ceremony means a return to normal. In the Grand Palais district, these shopkeepers are tired from the experience, but delighted and ready for the upcoming Paralympic Games.

From the Berkeley restaurant, you can almost see the Grand Palais, site of the fencing and taekwondo competitions. Ideally located, it was packed throughout the Games. Agnès Iken, the director, can finally breathe: “We received a lot of tourists. It was very nice, very intense, very tiring.”

For two weeks, the luxury brasserie lived to the rhythm of the Olympic Games: “We opened earlier, sometimes closed later. We adapted to the events that were nearby. The times when we knew that an activity was close, we knew that attendance was much higher, so we doubled the workforce.” The employees, more numerous, worked longer for a decent turnover which will be similar, according to the manager, to that of last summer. But she is proud to have played a role during the trials, especially for the tourists.

“We tried to restore the image of Parisians in the restaurant business who are not necessarily friendly. We were friendly, we were polite, we were welcoming. It was pleasant and the team had a good time with them too.”

Agnès Iken, director of the Berkeley restaurant

to franceinfo

A few meters further, the terrace of the Carré Élysée restaurant is surprisingly almost empty. But the manager, Jimmy Chatras, comes out of this intense period with some great anecdotes: “We had a family with a French silver medalist. I know it was a fencing event, a man. Everyone cheered him, even the customers who were there. There was a very strong atmosphere, it was just happiness.” The restaurant is also staffed more and will remain so until September, after the Paralympic Games.

The same goes for the Franprix supermarket in the area, which was a hit during the Olympics. The manager, Mohammed Ghazi, says he has “multiplied” his “figures by three. It’s not just the Olympics, there are also tourists who discover this beautiful city of Paris, who discover our neighborhood, people in the offices who resume their activities…” He has installed a terrace and many goodies remain for sale.

The manager is now waiting for only one thing: “Let the Paralympics start so that there is still that excitement and passion.” A rush shared by other businesses that have acquired a taste for the frenzy surrounding the Games.