What Les Relais solidaires does

Les Relais Solidaires is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) operating under the Économie Sociale et Solidaire framework, founded approximately in 1990 by Belka Kheder in Pantin, a northeastern suburb of Paris. Its mission is to train and professionally integrate people distant from traditional employment circuits through hands-on practice in real restaurant operations, combining a social-integration mission with commercial hospitality activities.

The organization operates four physical venues across Pantin and Le Pré-Saint-Gervais: Le Relais Restaurant (the main dining venue at the headquarters on rue Victor Hugo), La Friche (a 2024 tiers-lieu in the Sept-Arpents neighborhood combining restaurant-bar, urban agriculture, and bicycle repair), Le Pré de Chez Vous (a neighborhood restaurant), and KFET (a campus canteen for Grenoble Ecole de Management). Beyond dine-in service, revenue is generated through catering and event services (traiteur), venue rentals (Salle Edmond Maire, Salle Le Chalet, Parking Spot), a Qualiopi-certified vocational training institute (Relais Formation / Ecole CIP) offering pre-qualifying training, professional titles, and HACCP certifications, and a recurring cultural programming agenda spanning concerts, DJ sets, workshops, theater, and festivals.

Commercially, Les Relais Solidaires runs a multi-channel go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer through owned restaurants, third-party delivery via UberEats and JustEat, sales-led B2B catering and venue rental, and event-driven customer acquisition through its cultural agenda. The training arm captures French public vocational funding under Qualiopi certification. Customers span four segments: training beneficiaries (job-seekers integrated into the program), local restaurant diners, corporate and private event organizers, and students/staff at Grenoble Ecole de Management. The organization is supported by members, shareholders (sociétaires), municipal partners (Ville de Pantin), and institutional supporters; no parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership is indicated.

Name

Les Relais solidaires

Legal name

Les Relais Solidaires

Website

https://lesrelaissolidaires.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Relais Solidaires is a French non-profit social-solidarity association founded in 1990 in Pantin that trains people distant from employment through four restaurant venues, catering services, Qualiopi-certified vocational training, and cultural programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

Keywords

• Social enterprise catering
• Vocational restaurant training
• Community restaurant venues
• Event catering services
• Venue rental spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Pantin

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant and Bar Sales: On-site dining and bar sales at multiple restaurant locations (Le Relais Restaurant, La Friche, Le Pré de Chez Vous, KFET) serving contemporary seasonal cuisine. Revenue generated from lunch and dinner service, beverages, and specialty menus.
2. Catering and Event Services: Traiteur services offering coffee breaks, meal trays, buffets, cocktails, three-course service, and solidarity meals for private and professional events. Includes room rental for seminars and celebrations.
3. Training Programs: Vocational training in restaurant trades for people distant from employment. Programs include pre-qualifying training, professional certifications, and HACCP certifications, delivered through Relais Formation.
4. Delivery Services: Food delivery through third-party platforms (UberEats, JustEat) for at-home consumption. Eco-responsible delivery service by bicycle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Les Relais Solidaires operates a network of restaurant venues in Pantin and Le Pré-Saint-Gervais serving seasonal French cuisine made with fresh, local products, while delivering Qualiopi-certified vocational training in restaurant trades to people distant from employment. The organization supplements its restaurant operations with B2B catering services, event venue rentals, and cultural programming that reinforces its social integration mission.

Product overview

Les Relais Solidaires is a social enterprise offering a multi-faceted portfolio of restaurant, cultural, and training services across multiple locations in Pantin, France. The core offering consists of four distinct restaurant/location venues (Le Relais Restaurant, La Friche, Le Pré de Chez Vous, and La KFET), supplemented by catering/traiteur services, venue rental, and a comprehensive training institute (Ecole CIP). The venues are interconnected through shared culinary standards, social mission, and cultural programming that supports the organization's insertion and employment mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Le Relais Restaurant Main dining venue at 61 rue Victor Hugo, Pantin offering contemporary seasonal French cuisine with fresh, local products, featuring indoor dining and vegetated terraces. Open to walk-in diners and reservations.
• La Friche Third-place (tiers-lieu) at 53 rue des Sept-Arpents, Pantin combining a restaurant-bar with urban agriculture and bicycle repair services, along with cultural programming. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11h-21h.
• Le Pré de Chez Vous Restaurant at 1 rue Lamartine, Le Pré-Saint-Gervais offering varied daily dishes prepared with fresh, local products in a warm, welcoming atmosphere with floral decoration.
• La KFET Canteen service at 183 avenue Jean Lolive, Pantin serving students and staff of Grenoble Ecole de Management with online ordering capability via the L'Addition platform.
• Service Traiteur et Événementiel Catering and event services including coffee breaks, meal trays, buffets, cocktails, three-course service, and solidarity meals for private and professional events, with products sourced from responsible agriculture and local production.
• Location de Salles Venue rental services including Salle Edmond Maire (170m², 100 seated/200 standing) and Salle Le Châlet (90m², 30 seated/60 standing), plus Parking Spot for outdoor events, available for seminars, celebrations, and musical events.
• Ecole CIP – Formations Professionnelles Qualiopi-certified professional training institute (Relais Formation / Ecole CIP) offering pre-qualifying training, professional titles, HACCP certifications, and competency modules for restaurant professions, targeting people distant from employment.
• Programmation Culturelle Cultural programming featuring concerts, DJ sets, theatrical performances, pedagogical workshops, exhibitions, and festivals as a vector for social inclusion, with tickets distributed via HelloAsso, Shotgun, Billetweb, SeeTickets, and Weezevent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35 years of operation supporting people distant from employment in professional reintegration through restaurant trades

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ville de PantincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Pantin partnership for the development of the Friche tiers-lieu at the Sept-Arpents neighborhood. City provides support and infrastructure for the multi-activity space combining restaurant-bar, urban agriculture, and bicycle repair services.
• Belka KhedercoreOthersFounder and initiator of Les Relais Solidaires who established the organization in the 1980s as an alternative and solidarity economy initiative in the Pantin suburb.
• Grenoble Ecole de ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the KFET canteen service at the GEM campus in Pantin. Les Relais Solidaires operates the campus restaurant providing meals to students and staff through dedicated online ordering.
• Adhérent·e·s and sociétaires (Members and Shareholders)coreOthersMembers and shareholders supporting the organization. With the support of members, shareholders, and partners, Les Relais Solidaires operates its social enterprise model.
• Various institutional and associative partners (logos shown)minorOthersVarious partners shown in logo section including EY and other institutional supporters who contribute to the organization's mission and activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Big Mamma Group: Large French casual dining group operating Italian trattorias and bistros across France. Comparable as a multi-venue full-service French casual-dining operator, though without the social-inclusion/training overlay.
• Sodexo France: Major French contract foodservice and facilities management provider. Comparable on the B2B contract catering and institutional foodservice dimensions (campus, corporate events) of Les Relais Solidaires, though at vastly larger scale.
• Bouillon Pigalle: French traditional bouillon restaurant concept operating in Paris. Comparable as a French full-service casual dining operator with seasonal menus, though focused on volume-based traditional cuisine rather than social mission.

Direct peers

• Groupe SOS: Major French social economy conglomerate operating restaurants, training, and insertion programs alongside healthcare and housing activities. Closely comparable in combining ESS structure, multi-venue food service, and large-scale professional reintegration programs.
• Restos du Cœur: Iconic French food charity operating restaurants and food distribution to support vulnerable populations. Comparable social-mission foodservice operator in France, though primarily charitable rather than training-focused.
• Café Joyeux: French social enterprise restaurant chain employing people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable to Les Relais Solidaires in combining a commercial casual-dining operation with a social-inclusion mission and Qualiopi-aligned training for vulnerable populations.
• Apprentis d'Auteuil: French foundation providing vocational training, accommodation, and family services for vulnerable youth, including hospitality training programs. Comparable in vocational training infrastructure and social-inclusion mission.
• La Table de Cana: French catering and restaurant social enterprise providing professional reintegration through foodservice. Direct comparator on the catering-plus-insertion combination that is core to Les Relais Solidaires' traiteur arm.
• Emmaüs France: French social enterprise federation including restaurant and catering activities as part of integration work. Directly comparable ESS structure with social-inclusion mission and food-service operations funding the mission.

Others

• Too Good To Go: French-headquartered anti-food-waste marketplace partnering with restaurants. Adjacent comparable as a values-driven French food ecosystem player that partners with restaurants including social-enterprise operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-relais-solidaires

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Relais solidaires