With steak at R$150 in restaurants, French people adopt strategies to save money on vacation

Two major French newspapers –Le Parisien and Le Figaro– dedicate their headlines this Tuesday (9) to the rise in prices in the height of the high summer season in France. Inflation reached 6.1% in July, in the 12-month period, causing a general increase in prices.

According to Le Figaro, the French are trying to adapt in a variety of ways to this new economic scenario. Many have given up real estate and hotel leases to spend their vacations with relatives or in cheaper infrastructures, such as campsites. Others have cut restaurant expenses. Those who travel by car, start taking their foot off the accelerator on the highways. The maximum authorized speed is 130 km/h, but many drivers have reduced it to 100 or 110 km/h in order to save fuel.

At the beginning of July, in view of the first summer really free from the health restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, around 9 million French people with high purchasing power had already booked their holidays abroad. But the most sought after destinations are among the most affordable for French pockets: Spain, Greece, Tunisia, among others.

At the same time, surveys show that 20% of the population has given up travel due to lack of money. With the rise in energy, fuel and food prices, middle-class families have been spending an extra 90 euros a month, around R$840, points out an expert consulted by Le Figaro. Those who were able to travel adopt strategies to reduce expenses.
Sirloin steak at BRL 150

Professionals in the hotel and restaurant sectors are satisfied with the excellent season. But they fear a turnaround in September, when the Northern Hemisphere summer vacation ends. For now, the restaurants are full. But what about after classes start?

Le Parisien shows how certain dishes have become unviable in some restaurants. The bill can be salty, and for some products, such as duck meat or sirloin, prices have increased exorbitantly.

A 300-gram dish of sirloin is costing an average of 29 euros in the resort of Deauville (Normandy), that is, R$ 150. This is without accompaniment, dessert or drink. The kilo of duck meat, present in French specialties such as magret de canard and foie gras, went from 30 to 50 euros at the supplier, the equivalent of R$260, according to a survey by Le Parisien.

Chefs have tried to adapt their menus to the new economic reality, offering more options for salads, pasta, vegetarian dishes and less expensive cuts of meat or fish, such as sardines, to ease the consumer’s pocketbook.