Have you noticed? When you come across an acquaintance with whom you enjoy talking, you always promise yourself to go and have a coffee to continue the exchange.
An essential drink for the end of a meal or for friendly and professional meetings, the p’tit noir can be enjoyed at any time of the day. And their prices vary.
From now on, it’s the obstacle course to find a kawa at 1 euro. We surveyed the city center and ended up finding one at “Per Lei”, place du Pin.
“Of course we offer coffee for one euro at the counter, confirms Nabil, the bartender, as if it were obvious. But yes, it is written: look, it is there”he says, pointing to a tiny drowned line in the middle of the drink price grid.
Word of mouth
If the 2-euro beer at happy hour can be spotted from afar, displayed on a sign in front of the establishment, the cheap arabica is not obvious. “That is to say, we don’t need to shout it from the rooftops. Word of mouth is enough, continues Alexandre Weyland, the owner and manager of the establishment. Our customers know this and take advantage of it.”
Why not make it a selling point? “We are not in it. For us, coffee at the counter at 1 euro is the Italian tradition. Since I opened the “Per Lei” 6 years ago, I have been offering it and I I don’t intend to change. It makes sense to me. Even if I know that there aren’t very many of us who practice it anymore… It’s a shame, by the way.”remarks the boss.
The latter speaks with disconcerting frankness: “No, we don’t lose money with this operation. It’s simple: customers come, drink their little coffee and leave. For us, it’s easy and it’s fast. The bartender makes it flow , serves it and gets rid of it, so to speak, in stride.” A one euro coin placed on the counter and on to the next.
For local customers
And it works well: from early morning, consumers follow one another at the counter. Parents who stop quickly following dropping off their toddlers at school, people who work in the neighborhood and who swallow a cup before going to work, retirees who take a break on their way back from shopping… “We are a neighborhood business. Our clientele is 80% local, confirms Alexandre Weyland. We have tourists in the summer, attracted by the world and the atmosphere. But the ones we want to take care of are our regulars.”
It almost looks like a public service: it’s accessible to everyone and it brings people together.
Moreover, the boss has bet on quality: “It’s not because we put it at 1 euro that we should offer sock juice. On the contrary! I work with Italian roasters. We clean the percolator between each cup, otherwise there is bitterness. Every week, the manufacturer comes to check the machine.”
And every day, customers come back.
“Increasingly rare”, according to the local representative of cafe owners
“Coffee at 1 euro at the counter has become very rare, notes Noël Ajoury, president of the UMIH (Union of trades and industries of the hotel business) Côte d’Azur Nice café owners. There are few establishments left that offer it because all are faced with rising prices. And coffee is no exception.
The boss of the cafe owners has made his calculations: according to him, the precious grain has taken “10 to 12% increase in the price per kilo. And we can fear an increase in February.”
Robert, the manager of the Café du Palais, opposite the courthouse, confirms: “We were forced to review our prices. It had been seven years since the coffee had moved but it was no longer possible. We offer it at 1.50 euros in the morning, on flea markets, garage sales , etc.”
A good deal because in many bistros in Old Nice, it is more expensive. Regulars point out the good deal all the same: at Blast on Cours Saleya, you can drink a little black wine for less than one euro every morning.
Coffee is no exception: “Not a single product has not increased: butter, eggs, dairy products, meats, fish… Restaurant owners have no choice but to increase their prices. On drinks, it’s the same, beer also more expensive, says Noël Ajoury. And once more, it’s going to be worse followingwards because most restaurateurs have blocked contracts… They risk having bad surprises when they expire.”
Another factor that is likely to weigh on the price of “kawa”, according to the boss of the cafe owners: “We are in the slow period. Those who are still closed or who have just reopened for Carnival are probably going to have to raise their card prices by 10 or 15%, like the others. to go out.”
Share your good addresses with us
Are you a coffee maker? Are you a customer? If at home or in your HQ, the coffee is also one euro or less, give us the address! We will publish a map of all the good plan addresses! Write to us at atruquet@nicematin.fr.
