The second edition of Foodorama, Salon organized by the service accelerator included to propel entrepreneurship in "food" , took place on March 16 and 17 in Paris. On this occasion, The first barometer of entrepreneurship in "food" was revealed.
To draw up a sketch of the new “food” entrepreneur and his evolution in recent years, Foodorama organizers analyzed more than 900 applications from project leaders in catering and food businesses, received between 2018 and 2024. Among the entrepreneurs in the sector, we observe very few profiles leaving school or higher education. The majority of candidates are over 25 years old. The median age is 34 years old. These restaurateurs therefore rather decide to undertake business after a few years of professional career.. Finance, marketing, communication… : certain sectors are strong providers of future “food entrepreneurs” .
A majority of converts
Although the trend is slowing slightly, food entrepreneurs are therefore still mainly retrained : 64% of them are undertaking for the first time with the project of opening their very first establishment. They were 83% in 2018. We observe among existing restaurateurs a growing need for support, although they have already opened one or more locations. A direct consequence of the increasing complexity of issues in the sector, as a greater facility for these entrepreneurs to assume their shortcomings, needs or difficulties.
Very few entrepreneurs with culinary background
Be trained as a chef (holder of a CAP or from culinary or hotel training) is not an essential prerequisite for creating your restaurant. Less than 10% of food entrepreneurs have a diploma or proven experience in cooking. If cooking remains at the heart of new concepts, this is therefore not synonymous with kitchen entrepreneurs.
More ambitious projects
We are also observing sharply increasing launch costs in the sector.. The average financing need for a first deal increased from €200,000 in 2018 to €332,000 in 2024 (i.e. +66% in six years). This increase is explained in particular by lasting and widespread inflation in recent years., but also and above all by a tendency to want to give birth to more ambitious projects. Entrepreneurs are therefore today, more than before, looking for investors and more structured support, particularly around financial risks.
Entrepreneurship in catering is becoming more feminine
Today we observe near parity among neo-entrepreneurs with women compared to 49,8% men. This is explained in particular by a progressive feminization of the profession, but also entrepreneurship in the broad sense. Among the successful female food entrepreneurs, we can cite Myriam Sabet, founder of Parisian pastries Maison Aleph, Jade Frommer, co-founder of the immersive restaurant Ephemera, Alice Tuyet, at the origin of the immersive Parisian bistro Faubourg Daimant, or Céline Chung, at the head of Bao Family restaurants.
The attraction to world cuisines
Where, in 2018, many entrepreneurs focused on revisited French cuisine, the trend is now in world cuisines. Among the types of kitchen most frequently chosen by entrepreneurs in the sector, Italian cuisine and Asian cuisine. We have also observed an attraction in recent months for Indian and Mediterranean restaurants., who come out of the clichés and thus see themselves glamorized.
Hybrid places, focused on user-friendliness
Because the sector is demanding and the competition is tough, we are increasingly observing a desire among food entrepreneurs to offer differentiating experiences and concepts. So, where the most common business models in 2018 focused on fast food and groceries, we now see more places of conviviality emerging, bringing together both catering, takeaway, event programming, etc.
The food scene is expanding
If establishment openings have long been concentrated in the capital and the south of France, we observe a sharp increase in projects in cities like Lille or Nantes which are becoming, in addition to Paris, very dynamic in terms of food concepts and experiences.
The quest for a new life
“Tired of bullshit jobs, urban executives are looking for human contact, of accountability, a return to simplified relationships and a daily life marked by growing ecological awareness. Entrepreneurship in catering offers them a concrete opportunity to combine hospitality, creativity, social connection and business management. And although the sector is demanding, it also offers the satisfaction of creating something concrete and impactful within a local community, while freeing oneself from the hierarchies and heavy frustrations of employment”, explains Romain Amblard, co-founder and CEO of Service Compris and organizer of the Foodorama trade show.
