In the heart of Paris’s Forum des Halles, giant donuts stand on a white facade, accompanied by humorous slogans like this: “Macaron, resignation!” » Nour and Chloé, two 21-year-old students, burst out laughing when they spotted them: “It’s funny, we love it. » On December 6th, the American chain Krispy Kreme will open its first outlet in France here. A real symbol.
“It will be the Temple of the Donut, with an area of 550 square meters”, boasts Alexandre Maizoué, general manager of the French subsidiary. She didn’t choose Les Halles by chance: “It is a place of hyperflux where workers, students and tourists come together: ideal for fast food. » In fact, major American brands McDonald’s, Burger King and even KFC are all present in the neighborhood – where Nour and Chloé, like many young people, meet their friends “Get some burgers”.
“Places of conviviality, epicenter of new eating habits, fast food restaurants are an ideal laboratory for studying our lifestyle and what has been happening in our cities for forty years.”observes Luc Gwiazdzinski, geographer and urban space specialist at the National School of Architecture in Toulouse.
In fact, fast food has become part of French customs since the first McDonald’s was introduced in 1972. “Because we are in more and more of a hurry and don’t go home for lunch anymore.”, summarizes Restoration sociologist Eric Birlouez. It is emphasized that the offerings of these brands are becoming increasingly diverse, from poke bowls to pizzas, including tacos and onigiris. And far from being just junk food.
“An important place in the food offering”
Despite certain inaccuracies – the establishments are sometimes poorly listed and their closures are not always taken into account – the Sirene database of the INSEE shows that in many cities, such as Marseille or Nantes, their number now exceeds that of traditional restaurants. But also in certain neighborhoods in the north of Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne, where the average income is low.
“In Ile-de-France, the districts that are priority for urban policy are those where fast food restaurants occupy an important place in the food offering.”, explains Capucine Frouin, doctor of urban planning at the University of Paris-Est Créteil, who studies these issues. That’s not all, she adds: “There are also fewer fresh fruit and vegetable shops and the food environment is less conducive to health. » Like the Quatre-Chemins districts, in Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis), des Cinéastes and de la Plaine, in Epinay-sous-Sénart (Essonne) or even Bobigny.
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