Coffee race | Waiters race through the streets of Paris

(Paris) Blue aprons, immaculate white shirts, clenched jaws and balanced trays, dozens of waitresses and waiters competed on Sunday in the streets of Paris to win the traditional Waiters’ Race, ahead of the Olympic Games.

The winners will also be invited to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26.

Hundreds of stunned tourists and walking families gathered in front of Paris town hall to witness the resurrection of this atypical race, which has its roots at the beginning of the 20th century.^e century, and of which London and the French capital dispute the authorship.

A coffee, a glass of water and a croissant: this is the load they must carry, with one hand and with elegance, two kilometers in the heart of the tourist district of Marais.

A jury awaits them on arrival to control their time but also the levels of the drinks.

Due to lack of funding, the last Parisian edition took place in 2011.

“To prepare myself, I came yesterday to do a little scouting,” says Thierry Petit, who is celebrating his forty years as a brasserie waiter in Paris that same day.

“Afterwards, I ate an andouillette and drank a beer, that’s about it,” laughs this colossus in his late sixties, with a suburban accent. “But celebrating here, with all these people, plus a year of Olympism, it gives me wings! »

“Question of concentration”

The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo cuts the ribbon, the hello is given, the participants set off. No running allowed, the race takes on the appearance of a Nordic walking competition, with added atmosphere.

Concentrated but smiling, the waiters parade to the cheers, even finding time to exchange jokes, while casting glances at the cups of coffee which roll from left to right to the rhythm of their strides.

“But we do this for 12 hours every day, weekends and public holidays included,” recalls Pauline Van Wymeersch, waitress at the Le Petit Pont café in Paris, and first in the women’s category. His secret? “Twenty years in the business and good legs.”

The waiters jostle in the narrow rue Saint-Martin, performing acrobatic board movements to surpass each other, under the eyes of the customers on the terraces who stand up to encourage them.

The race is over in a good twenty minutes. It’s Samy Lamrous, 26, who wins, with the best time and an intact field.

Like most of the participants, this maître d’ at the Parisian restaurant La Contrescarpe did not particularly prepare for the competition. “I went with the flow and did what I was told, as usual,” he laughs.

“It’s a bit of a strain on your thighs but it’s mainly a question of concentration: you have to keep your balance while there are all these people cheering for you… but, in the end, I was able to make my comeback.” Parisian style!” » and take first place.

“The soul of Paris”

A successful bet for the town hall, which organized the event with Eau de Paris (which manages drinking water in the city) and professionals in the sector.

“It was a way of highlighting the culture of our city,” comments Pierre Rabadan, deputy in charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Paris town hall, who himself participated in the race. “The waiter in a cafe or restaurant is a very strong marker of French culture.”

The fact that the event was able to rise from its ashes in 2024 owes nothing to chance: “We know that there are a lot of expectations from visitors around French heritage, the French table, and organizing this race is a way of welcoming them, too.”

“Cafes are the soul of Paris! », Adds Dan Lert, deputy in charge of ecological transition and president of Eau de Paris. “The race is a kind of ‘tease’ for all those who are coming, so they can see what awaits them.”

And to add that the competition will be renewed next year.