You know how to run a kitchen. You know how to lead a floor.
Are you ready to succeed
in France?
Rookie errors:
Treating the lease like an American lease.
The bail commercial is a different instrument entirely — and in most ways, it's better for the tenant.
Not checking what the lease actually lets you cook.
The destination clause determines your concept. Check it before you fall in love with a space.
Assuming you can run the floor like you did back home.
French employment law will surprise you. Know what you're getting into.
Expecting to finance it the way you would back home.
French banks are cautious lenders. Know your capital position before you start looking.
Underestimating what the transaction actually costs.
The purchase price is the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it.
Going it alone without someone who speaks both systems.
French professionals know the French system. That's not the same as knowing yours.
I’m a French-born restaurateur who spent more than 25 years owning and operating successful restaurants in the United States — from casual to white tablecloth and everything in between.
I’m also someone who moved to France with American experience and know-how and opened, ran, and sold a successful restaurant in the suburbs of Paris.
Now, I’m a licensed commercial real estate specialist focusing exclusively on restaurant transactions.
Rémy is a licensed commercial real estate broker at Panthéon Conseil in Paris, specializing in fonds de commerce for restaurants and CHR businesses. Explore more on the Panthéon Conseil blog.
Questions I get from buyers before we talk:
I’m fluent in French and English.
I speak American business and French restaurant transactions and operations.
Nothing gets lost in translation — literally or financially.
From first call to handing you the keys
Here’s how we work together:
We talk
A 30-minute call where I learn what you’re looking for, where you want to be, and what your budget is. No fee. No commitment.
Find your dream restaurant
I work with my network across France to find properties for you — the right location, the right concept, the right numbers.
I walk you through the deal
Valuations, lease review, due diligence, financing, final signatures. I walk you through the full transaction — in plain English.
Close the deal
I coordinate with the notaire, support every administrative step, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks between the compromis and the acte définitif. You get the keys.