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French cafe culture struggles to stay alive 

Sitting in a cafe in France is part of every tourist cliche. But with locals doing that less and less and the number of cafes dwindling at a rapid pace, is French cafe culture in danger of dying out?

In 1960, there were about 200,000 cafes across France. Fifty years later, there are only around 40,000 left and, according to industry statistics, two cafes go out of business every day. . . .

Bernard Quartier, president of the National Federation of Cafes, Brasseries and Discotheques, doesn't believe the trend is the result of new smoking or drink driving legislation. He says cafe owners simply haven't been keeping up with the times.

"I think cafes are out of sync with society." he says. "They were in sync during the 1950s, but they aren't anymore. A cafe has to be clean. The coffee has to be good. In many cases the coffee isn't good. The beer has to be good. And you have to be able to order non-alcoholic drinks, like fresh-squeezed orange juice or smoothies. You have to be able to find a newspaper in a cafe, or find a television where sporting events are broadcast. There has to be something to draw people."

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