Le Relais de l’Entrecote

What Le Relais de l’Entrecote does

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is a privately held, family-owned French steakhouse chain founded in 1959 by Paul Gineste de Saurs at Porte Maillot, Paris, originally under the name Le Relais de Venise-Son Entrecôte. The company operates 16 restaurant locations across Paris (4 owned), Switzerland (2 licensed), and the Middle East (10 licensed across Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Egypt), with the founder's daughter Marie-Paule continuing the family legacy. Its core product is a single signature formula — green walnut salad, extra-tender beef striploin with a closely guarded secret cream sauce (tarragon, Dijon mustard, butter), and homemade pommes allumettes — unchanged since 1959, complemented by a fixed dessert menu and exclusive wines from the family's 42-hectare Château de Saurs organic vineyard in Gaillac.

The business model is direct-to-consumer dine-in service through owned Paris locations plus franchise/licensed operator arrangements in Switzerland and the Middle East, generating revenue through one-time food and beverage sales and franchise economics. Technology infrastructure is minimal and explicitly described as not applicable to a traditional restaurant operation; the chain relies on word-of-mouth marketing, press coverage in prestigious publications (Madame Figaro, Virtuoso Life, Elle Korea, Marie Claire, Easyjet Traveller, Do It In Paris), and an active Instagram presence to drive demand. The flagship Marbeuf location (15 Rue Marbeuf, 75008 Paris) is currently closed for renovation with a scheduled reopening on July 28, 2026.

The company's customer base is predominantly consumer-facing, comprising fine-dining enthusiasts, international tourists, local Parisian regulars, business professionals (including CAC 40 executives), and celebrity patrons. The brand is positioned as the most famous steak-frites restaurant in Paris, with the tagline "Souvent copié, jamais égalé" (often copied, never equaled). No external investors, parent company, or M&A activity is disclosed. Employees are reported as 11–50, which appears to reflect corporate or reporting scope rather than total chain staff. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Le Relais de l’Entrecote

Legal name

Le Relais de l'Entrecote

Website

https://relaisdelentrecote.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is a privately held, family-owned French steakhouse chain founded in 1959, operating 16 restaurants across Paris, Switzerland, and the Middle East. It serves fine-dining enthusiasts, tourists, business professionals, and local Parisian regulars with a single signature steak-frites formula and secret sauce unchanged for 65 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

French Steakhouse Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Steak frites dining
• French bistro restaurant
• Fine dining chain
• Parisian steakhouse
• Traditional family restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from dine-in service. Customers pay per meal for the signature formula (salad, steak with secret sauce, fries) and desserts. Operating 16+ locations across France, Switzerland, and Middle East markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte operates a traditional French steakhouse chain serving a single signature formula meal: a green walnut salad followed by extra-tender beef striploin with its famous secret cream sauce, accompanied by homemade pommes allumettes fries. The restaurant also offers a curated list of French desserts and exclusive organic wines from its family-owned Château de Saurs vineyard.

Product overview

Le Relais de l'Entrecote operates as a traditional French steakhouse chain offering a single signature formula meal: green walnut salad followed by tender beef striploin with its famous secret sauce and pommes allumettes fries. The company was founded in 1959 by Paul Gineste de Saurs and maintains family ownership. The restaurant portfolio includes desserts and wines from the affiliated Chateau de Saurs organic vineyard, with locations across Paris, Switzerland, and international expansion in the Middle East.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Château de Saurs: Family wine estate founded in the 16th century, located in the Gaillacois vineyard region. Produces organic wines including Réserve Éliezer Rouge and Gaillac Rosé, covering 42 hectares of AOC vineyards.

Products and services

• Le Relais de l'Entrecôte Formula (Steak Frites) Signature menu featuring a green walnut salad, extra-tender beef striploin with the famous secret sauce, and homemade pommes allumettes fries, served since 1959 to dine-in customers across all locations.
• French Desserts Assorted French desserts including Profiteroles au chocolat, Vacherin d'été, Vacherin du relais, Gâteau du Relais, Sévigné, Tulipe de fraises Melba, Crème brûlée, Sable de fraises au citron, Délice de framboises, and Irish Coffee, served to dine-in guests.
• Château de Saurs Wines Organic wines from the family vineyard in the Gaillac region, including Réserve Éliezer Rouge (Braucol, Syrah, Duras, Cabernet Sauvignon blend) and Gaillac Rosé, served across Le Relais de l'Entrecôte locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65+ years of continuous operation with the same signature formula
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Château de SaurscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1959Family-owned wine estate that has been in operation since the 16th century, located in the Gaillac wine region. The vineyard covers 42 hectares planted on hillsides overlooking the Tarn river. All wines are certified organic agriculture. Provides exclusive wine supply to all Relais de l'Entrecôte locations, including Réserve Éliezer Rouge (Braucol, Syrah, Duras, Cabernet Sauvignon blend) and Gaillac Rosé.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Le Train Bleu: Iconic Parisian brasserie inside the Gare de Lyon, serving traditional French cuisine to tourists and locals. Comparable on heritage-driven Parisian positioning, celebrity/press visibility, and full-service French bistro format.
• Hippopotamus: Long-established French steakhouse chain operating a multi-site, value-to-mid-tier steak-frites concept across France. Comparable in core offering (grilled beef and fries) and chain scale, though positioned at a lower price tier than Le Relais.
• Buffalo Grill: France's largest steakhouse chain with hundreds of locations. Direct competitor in the beef-centric casual dining category, though differentiated by a broader menu, American-themed decor, and suburban/roadside positioning vs. Le Relais's Parisian bistro identity.
• Bouillon Chartier: Historic Parisian bouillon operating in a similar traditional French bistro format with high-volume, formulaic service. Comparable on heritage branding, Parisian tourist demand, and single-formula service model, though menus span many classic French dishes rather than one dish.
• Bistrot Benoit (Alain Ducasse): Historic Parisian bistro acquired by Alain Ducasse, serving traditional French cuisine including steak-frites. Comparable on classic Parisian bistro identity, single-formula heritage appeal, and fine-dining tourist demand.
• Le Relais de Venise: Closest conceptual sibling and historic origin: 'Le Relais de Venise–Son Entrecôte' was the original 1959 name under which Paul Gineste de Saurs created the steak-frites formula. Operates with the same single-dish menu and similar ritual in other markets.
• Courtepaille: French steakhouse chain focused on grilled meats and a streamlined menu. Comparable in single-protein identity and franchise-style multi-site footprint, though more roadside/family-casual versus Le Relais's Parisian bistro positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Bertrand Restauration: Major French multi-brand restaurant group (owns Bouillon Chartier, Léon, Volfoni, etc.). Comparable as a scaled operator of traditional French dining concepts, but operates a broad portfolio rather than specializing in the steak-frites niche.
• Big Mamma Group: Pan-European upscale trattoria and bistro chain with strong Paris presence (East Mamma, Mamma Primi, Beefbar). Comparable as a multi-site, design-forward Parisian dining operator capturing tourist and local demand, though Italian cuisine-focused.

Regional players

• Café de Flore: Legendary Parisian brasserie on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Comparable as a heritage Parisian dining institution with tourist demand, press visibility, and CAC-executive patronage, though format is all-day brasserie rather than single-dish steakhouse.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/relaisdelentrecote

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 Le Relais de l’Entrecote