Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille

What Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille does

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille is a single-site bistronomic restaurant operating within Le Cloître, a 6-hectare former convent in Marseille's 13th arrondissement owned by the Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil. Founded on April 8, 2019 by double-starred chef Michel Portos and social entrepreneur Arnaud Castagnède (Ashoka Fellow), the restaurant serves seasonal, locally sourced, organic cuisine on a menu renewed every 10 days, complemented by a Thursday/Saturday tasting menu and a Friday brasero concept. The company runs an integrated apprenticeship model in partnership with Apprentis d'Auteuil, training 38 young people in restaurant trades in 2025 alongside its permanent kitchen and service staff of roughly 15–20, and operates a solidarity meal program (Casseroles Solidaires, including 50 free weekly meals for precarious students via Association Vendredi 13).

The business model combines direct-to-consumer dining (bookings via ZenChef, TheFork, La Addition), off-premise catering under the 'La Sardine à Roulettes' sub-brand for corporate and group events, and modular event hosting across the Cloître's patio, terrace and indoor dining room. Revenue mechanics are transaction-based on à la carte and tasting-menu covers, plus event/catering fees; menu pricing is not publicly disclosed. Pricing also includes a solidarity tier of €2 per meal for precarious students. Distribution is single-country/domestic (France, primarily Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) through the physical site, online booking platforms, and direct B2B catering sales.

The company is a Société à Mission (since June 2022), holds the Maître Restaurateur label (July 2020), Fait Maison certification, the highest 3-macaron Écotable label (January 2024), and has been selected by the Michelin Guide for five consecutive years with an E-label for environmental practices. It is pursuing ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management as of 2026. Ownership is private and distributed among the founding partners and the Apprentis d'Auteuil foundation, with no disclosed private equity, venture, or institutional capital; revenue and headcount (cited at 18 employees in firmographic data) are not publicly detailed.

Name

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille

Legal name

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille

Website

https://lesjardinsducloitredemars.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille is a bistronomic, eco-responsible restaurant in Marseille, France, founded in 2019 by chef Michel Portos, training young apprentices from priority neighborhoods in restaurant trades while serving seasonal, locally sourced cuisine, hosting events, and operating an off-site catering service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dining service: Revenue from serving meals to dine-in customers at the restaurant, with a tasting menu available on Thursday and Saturday evenings and à la carte options. Menu renewed every 10 days based on seasonal availability.
2. Catering service (La Sardine à Roulettes): Off-premise catering service providing group dining experiences at the Cloître or directly at client companies. Offers formulas adapted for group formats with locally sourced products.
3. Event hosting: Revenue from hosting private and corporate events in the Cloître's modular spaces, including the patio, terrace, and indoor dining room.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille operates a bistronomic eco-responsible restaurant in Marseille offering seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine with a tasting menu on Thursday and Saturday evenings and à la carte options renewed every 10 days. The business extends its culinary offering through "La Sardine à Roulettes," an off-premise catering service for group events at the Cloître or at client locations, and through hosting of private and corporate events in modular spaces (patio, terrace, indoor dining room) within the 6-hectare historic Cloître property. The restaurant combines fine dining with a social mission of training more than 30 apprentices annually in restaurant trades.

Product overview

Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille operates as a bistronomic restaurant with an integrated catering service. The core offering is the restaurant itself, offering seasonal, local, and eco-responsible cuisine under starred chefs. The catering service ('La Sardine à Roulettes') extends the restaurant's culinary expertise to off-site events. A notable social initiative, 'Les Casseroles Solidaires', provides free meals to precarious students, reflecting the restaurant's mission-driven approach combining gastronomy with youth training and social inclusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Sardine à Roule: Catering service offered by Les Jardins du Cloître, adapting the restaurant's freshness and creativity to group formats at Le Cloître or directly in companies.

Products and services

• Les Jardins du Cloître Restaurant (Bistronomic Dining) Bistronomic eco-responsible restaurant offering seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine with a tasting menu on Thursday and Saturday evenings and à la carte options renewed every 10 days. Serves dine-in customers in the indoor dining room, sunny patio, and south-facing terrace overlooking kitchen gardens. Operated under the culinary direction of double-starred chef Michel Portos and chef Tom Paduano, with executive chef Valentin Small. Open Monday-Wednesday lunch, Thursday-Saturday lunch and dinner.
• La Sardine à Roulettes Catering Service Off-premise catering service offered under the brand "La Sardine à Roulettes" providing group dining experiences at the Cloître or directly at client companies. Offers formulas adapted for group formats with locally sourced products and creative cuisine from chef Valentin Small. Targeted at corporate events, group meals, and team dining occasions.
• Event Hosting at Le Cloître

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 free meals per week distributed to precarious students
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat (CEC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Restaurant participates in CEC since January 2023, accompanying its transition toward a regenerative business model closer to nature.
• Provence TourismeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Co-produced the Grand Banquet event at Digue du Large with 400 attendees, combining gastronomy with tourism promotion.
• Chef Yves CamdebordeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The inventor of bistronomy visited the restaurant to mentor apprentices, sharing career advice and culinary wisdom.
• Association Le Grand RepasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Annual participation in Le Grand Repas, a territory-wide initiative bringing together restaurant actors to share the same menu promoting local and seasonal food.
• Chef Glenn VielminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Three-starred chef who designed the menu for Le Grand Repas territory of Provence, inspiring the restaurant's offerings.
• Les Restos du CœurmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Apprentices prepared Christmas meals alongside six Michelin-starred chefs for Restos du Cœur charity.
• Association Vendredi 13coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership for the Casseroles Solidaires program, distributing 50 free meals weekly to precarious students identified during food aid distribution.
• SAMU SocialmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnered with SAMU Social during COVID-19 to prepare and deliver 160,000 meals to the most deprived, including homeless individuals.
• Vincent Robert (Fondation du Bayon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Initiated the Cloître project by soliciting Arnaud Castagnède to create an economic and social innovation hub in Marseille's northern districts.
• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-founded the Cloître with engaged leaders, bringing social entrepreneurship expertise and network.
• Bruno Galy (Apprentis d'Auteuil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Regional director of Apprentis d'Auteuil who enabled the Cloître project on foundation land in Marseille's northern districts.
• Fondation des Apprentis d'AuteuilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The Cloître property is owned by the Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil. The restaurant operates within this site as part of a broader ecosystem of businesses committed to youth training and insertion in Marseille's northern districts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Septime: Paris bistronomic benchmark by Bertrand Grébaut, focused on seasonal produce and eco-responsible sourcing. Highly comparable business model (bistronomy, small team, locavore, sustainability narrative).
• Frenchie: Iconic Parisian bistronomic restaurant by Greg Marchand. Comparable in service style (tasting menu, walk-in demand, single location), brand storytelling, and global culinary recognition.
• Le Saint-James: Former flagship of chef Michel Portos in Bouliac (near Bordeaux), a Michelin-starred bistronomic restaurant. Directly comparable as it shares the same culinary vision and lead chef DNA.
• Le Servan: Paris bistronomic venue by sisters Marie and Katia Valence. Comparable in mid-market pricing, seasonal French cuisine, and small-team chef-driven operation.

Emerging players

• Traiteurs de France: Network of independent French caterers offering event catering with artisanal positioning. Comparable as a peer for the La Sardine à Roulettes catering vertical and event business.
• Le Mary Celeste: Wine bar/restaurant in Paris from the same ecosystem as Septime. Comparable as an eco-conscious, ingredient-driven, smaller-scale French bistronomy operator.

Broad incumbents

• Potel et Chabot: Established French luxury event caterer. Comparable as an incumbent peer in the event/catering category, useful for understanding event-catering scale benchmarks.
• L'Arpège: Three-Michelin-star Paris restaurant by Alain Passard, focused on vegetable-led, eco-responsible cuisine. Comparable in eco/gastronomy positioning and as a benchmark for sustainability-led fine dining.

Regional players

• AM par Alexandre Mazzia: Three-Michelin-star restaurant in Marseille known for vegetable-forward, Mediterranean cuisine. Comparable as a regional fine-dining peer with strong Michelin presence and a similar product/market pairing.
• Une Table au Sud: Michelin-starred Mediterranean bistronomic restaurant in Marseille, comparable in cuisine style (Mediterranean/locavore), customer profile, and city market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lesjardinsducloitredemars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-jardins-du-cloitre-de-mars
• Instagraminstagram.com/les_jardins_du_cloitre_de_mars

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Les Jardins du Cloître de Marseille