Grand Café des Négociants

What Grand Café des Négociants does

Grand Café des Négociants is a historic French brasserie established in 1864 and operated by SA GCDN at a single flagship site at 1 Place Francisque Régaud in the Triangle d'Or of Lyon's Presqu'île district. The venue operates seven days per week from 7am to 4am, offering continuous restaurant service from midday to midnight and serving traditional French and regional Lyonnaise cuisine across multiple price tiers (€12.50 junior menu up to €72 four-course Gourmand menu), with a wine list ranging €30–€98 and a full cocktail program including champagne cocktails. The interior is preserved Second Empire décor — moulded painted ceilings, opulent curtains, numerous mirrors in burgundy and mahogany tones — constituting a heritage physical asset that is not economically replicable.

The business has progressively diversified within its footprint into three wholly-owned operational sub-brands: Le Petit Négo (a fast-casual counter offering crepes, galettes, waffles, and ice cream for eat-in or takeaway), Le Glacier des Négociants (artisanal ice cream produced by a Maître Artisan Glacier with 40 flavors using Bresse cream, Échiré butter, and pure fruit purées), and the Centre d'Affaires des Négociants (210 m² of meeting and event rooms on the first floor). Ancillary revenue streams include an aperitif service (L'Apéro des Négos, 5:30pm–9pm), a tea room, holiday menus (Christmas and New Year's Eve with €30 per person deposits), and group bookings of 15+ persons. Distribution is exclusively physical and direct — no online ordering, delivery, or franchise network. Long-standing reciprocal partnerships with Théâtre des Célestins, Théâtre Tête d'Or, and Festival Lumière (since 2011) drive qualified cultural traffic via 15–20% discount programs for ticket holders and accredited attendees. No AI, no proprietary technology platform, and no digital marketing infrastructure beyond a static bilingual website with Google Analytics and a Facebook page are present in the operation.

Name

Grand Café des Négociants

Legal name

SA GCDN

Website

https://lesnegociants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grand Café des Négociants is a historic 1864 Lyonnaise brasserie operating a single flagship restaurant in Lyon's Triangle d'Or, serving traditional French and regional cuisine across all-day dining, complemented by an artisanal ice cream parlor, a quick-service sub-brand, and a 210 m² corporate event centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional French Brasserie / Hospitality Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB), Dessert Cafes & Dessert Bars (Sit-Down) (THAFAGAI), Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH)

Keywords

• French brasserie dining
• Lyonnaise cuisine restaurant
• Event venue rental
• Artisanal ice cream
• Historic cocktail bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant & Brasserie Dining: Food and beverage revenue from all-day dining service covering breakfast (from 7am), lunch, tea room, aperitif (L'Apéro des Négos, 5:30pm–9pm), dinner, and after-show periods. Non-stop service from midday to midnight (Wed–Sat) or 10:30pm (Sun–Tue). Covers starters, mains, regional specialties, cheese, and desserts.
2. Business Centre / Event Venue Rental: Rental of 210 m² of equipped meeting rooms and offices on the first floor for conferences, seminars, meetings, and cocktails. Revenue from room hire fees, catering packages (coffee breaks, breakfasts, lunches), and corporate group bookings. Pricing published with weekday/weekend surcharges of 30% and 50% respectively.
3. Le Petit Négo Ice Cream & Quick Service: Separate fast-casual counter offering handmade ice creams, sorbets, galettes, crepes, waffles, and coffee-shop beverages for eat-in or takeaway. Unit-priced scoops (1 ball €3.90, 2 balls €6.90, 3 balls €9.80, 4 balls €11.50) and pre-set coupe formats.
4. Beverage Service (Wine, Cocktails, Champagne): Revenue from an extensive wine list (€30–€98), cocktail menu (classic, champagne, alcohol-free, mojito variants), and champagne cocktails. Includes L'Apéro des Négos happy hour with special rates on a selection of drinks.
5. Holiday & Private Event Dining: Special holiday menus for Christmas (24–25 December) and New Year's Eve (31 December–1 January). Reservations require a €30 per person deposit (arrhes). Group bookings from 15 persons with custom menus and beverage packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grand Café des Négociants is a historic Lyonnaise brasserie offering full-service French restaurant dining, bar and cocktail service, a tea room, an artisanal ice cream counter (Le Glacier des Négociants), a quick-casual counter (Le Petit Négo), and a 210 m² on-site Business Centre (Centre d'Affaires) for meetings and corporate events. Operations run continuously from 7am to 4am, seven days a week, at a single flagship location in central Lyon.

Product overview

Grand Café des Négociants is a single-location Lyonnaise brasserie offering a unified hospitality experience centered around its main restaurant service. The core offering includes the full-service restaurant (open 7/7 from 7h to 4h, with continuous restaurant service from midday to midnight), complemented by specialized sub-brands: Le Petit Négo for quick-casual meals and ice creams, and Le Glacier des Négociants for artisanal frozen desserts. Additional revenue streams include the Centre d'Affaires Business Center (210m² of rentable meeting space), and ancillary services such as the wine cellar (Cave des Négociants), cocktail menu, afternoon tea salon, and aperitif formulas. The menu portfolio includes structured offerings (Menu Tradition, Menu Gourmand, Menu Lyonnais, Formule Déjeuner) that tie directly into the main restaurant service, all unified under the historic 1864 brand identity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Petit Négo: 100% Négociants branded quick service label offering crepes, salads, dish of the day, waffles, pastries, and ice creams for eat-in or takeaway. Open daily from 10h to 22h.
• Le Glacier des Négociants
• Centre d'Affaires des Négociants

Products and services

• Grand Café des Négociants Brasserie Restaurant Full-service French brasserie restaurant offering traditional and Lyonnaise cuisine across all-day service periods (breakfast from 7am, lunch, tea room, aperitif, dinner, and after-show dining). Features multiple menu tiers from Formule Déjeuner to Menu Gourmand, an extensive wine list (€30\u2013€98), and a full cocktail menu. Located at 1 Place Francisque Régaud, Lyon.
• Le Petit Négo Quick-Service Counter

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Théâtre des CélestinscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2011Grand Café des Négociants is a formal partner of the Théâtre des Célestins, one of Lyon's most celebrated theatres. The partnership offers a 15% discount to ticket holders dining at the brasserie before or after performances, on presentation of their same-day show ticket. This is an ongoing annual partnership.
• Théâtre Tête d'OrcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2011Grand Café des Négociants is a formal partner of the Théâtre Tête d'Or. The partnership provides a 15% discount to spectators attending performances at the theatre, applicable to dining at the brasserie on presentation of the same-day ticket. This is an ongoing annual partnership.
• Festival LumièrecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2011Grand Café des Négociants has been a partner of the Festival Lumière (Lyon's major classic film festival) since 2011. During the festival period, a 20% discount is offered to accredited festival attendees on presentation of their accreditation. This is the establishment's longest-standing cultural partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• La Mère Brazier: Historic Lyonnaise bouchon founded1921 by Eugénie Brazier, now Michelin-starred. Directly comparable as a heritage single-location Lyon restaurant whose brand value rests on culinary tradition and historic authenticity.
• Bouillon Chartier: Historic Parisian bouillon founded1896 operating as a single heritage dining room with classic French brasserie service. Comparable single-location heritage model with extended hours and broad menu.
• Brasserie Georges: Lyon brasserie founded 1836, operating as a single historic flagship venue in a heritage building. The closest same-city comparable by operating model, scale, and historic full-service brasserie positioning.
• Brasserie Lipp: Iconic Parisian brasserie founded 1880, single historic location serving all-day French brasserie fare to political and cultural figures. Closest cross-city comparable for heritage full-service brasserie with premium pricing and cultural cachet.
• Café du Soleil: Historic Lyonnaise bouchon in Vieux Lyon. Comparable as a heritage single-location Lyon dining institution whose brand value rests on tradition and cuisine lyonnaise specialization.
• Le Bouchon des Cordeliers: Historic bouchon located steps from Grand Café des Négociants in the Presqu'île. The most direct local comparable by cuisine style (lyonnaise), location (same neighbourhood), and single-site heritage positioning.

Broad incumbents

• La Tour d'Argent: Historic Parisian fine-dining institution founded 1582, single flagship location with preserved heritage décor. A comparable heritage single-location fine-dining venue that monetizes centuries of provenance.
• Café de Flore: Historic Parisian café founded 1887, single Saint-Germain location preserved as a literary and cultural institution. Comparable heritage dining/drinking venue whose brand value is inseparable from its preserved period interior.
• Le Procope: Paris's oldest café (1686), single historic Saint-Germain location combining restaurant and cultural-heritage positioning. Comparable as a heritage-branded dining institution whose décor and provenance justify a destination experience.
• Paul Bocuse Restaurant — Auberge du Pont de Collonges: Lyon's globally recognized fine-dining institution founded 1959, operating from a heritage location on the outskirts of Lyon. Closest same-city incumbent for a heritage-branded destination restaurant whose name carries the city's culinary reputation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Grand-Caf%C3%A9-des-N%C3%A9gociants-166626820028703
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grandcafedesnegociants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Grand Café des Négociants