Les Grands Buffets: the French restaurant where thousands of Catalans eat every year
Narbonne's famous eatery boasts the world's largest cheese collection, a seven-story lobster tower and a chocolate fountain
Every year, thousands of Catalans dine at Les Grands Buffets, a French restaurant in the city of Narbonne that brings French cuisine and luxury to a wider audience.
The restaurant offers a deluxe version of the all-you-can-eat buffet for €57.90, featuring the world's largest collection of cheese in a restaurant, a seven-story tower of lobster, a chocolate fountain and signature dishes such as Canard au Sang or Lievre à la Royale.
It is the largest restaurant in France in terms of sales, with a total turnover of €25 million. The buffet welcomes more than 390,000 guests a year and is in high demand, with nearly one million reservation requests last year.
Last year, 40,000 diners came from Catalonia. The restaurant's popularity among Catalans is due to its proximity and excellent train connections, with the Renfe high speed train taking just two hours from Barcelona.
Les Grands Buffets was founded in 1989 by Jane and Louis Privat to pay homage to 19th century French cuisine, inspired by the master Auguste Escoffier, a pioneer of the culinary arts and a legend in the world of gastronomy.
One of its main attractions is its extensive cheese selection, which earned it a Guinness World Record. With over 111 cheeses displayed on a linear plate, including 23 European and 6 Spanish varieties, the restaurant consumes approximately 35,000 kilograms of cheese annually at a cost of approximately €400,000.
Buffet stays in Narbonne after uncertain months
The restaurant has experienced a few uncertain months after announcing its plans to move last December due to disagreements with the town's mayor.
This announcement caused great concern in Narbonne, as the buffet provides employment for over 220 direct workers - 7 bakers, 99 cooks and 107 waiters, along with about five hundred indirect employees.
However, the restaurant recently announced, with the change of mayor, that it will remain in Narbonne and will undergo a €20 million renovation to modernize its facilities. Nevertheless, it is not expected that this will lead to an increase in the number of daily visitors.