I was very surprised to see that this Michelin 3-star restaurant was short staffed. There were two gentlemen sitting next to us. Their dessert was brought out of the kitchen and was ready to be served to their table, but there was no server available. So their dessert was put on a nearby empty table. After 5 minutes, one server finally came and served it to their table. The ice cream was partially melted when presented to those two gentlemen, who were too nice to make any complaint.
Not only did the restaurant not have enough servers, it seemed that the kitchen was overwhelmingly busy as well. The footsteps in and out of the kitchen were noticeably quick. In addition, Pierre Gagnaire tried to visit each table at least once, but he was too busy to do that for each table. For the tables that he did manage to talk to, it was just some very brief thank-you words of less than five seconds before he needed to run back to the kitchen again.
Is Pierre Gagnaire trying too hard not to repeat the financial failure of his first restaurant by cutting down on his staff?
Practical Information
Pierre Gagnaire
6, Rue Balzac
75008 Paris
France
Tel: +33 01 5836 1250
Closed on Saturday all day and Sunday lunch.
Holidays two weeks in July.
Tasting menu: €240/person
À la carte menu: About €180 for three courses which consists of multiple items per course.
Useful Tips
- Pierre Gagnaire seduces diners who love novelty. If you prefer conservative, classic French cuisine, his restaurants might not be perfect for you.
- Even if you love innovative meals, do not expect that every single dish suits your palate.
- Tax and gratuity are included in the menu price in Paris.