Paris was recently inundated with Olympic athletes searching for their sport’s ultimate prize, but these streets have also hosted a slightly less important, if equally dramatic, competition. This is the peculiar story of the “Course des Garçons de Café”, or the “Waiters’ Race”.
Trust the French to make a sport out of waiting tables. They are masters of the culinary arts; France is the home of the restaurant and the Michelin Guide, and it is no surprise that they have turned even food service into a point of national pride.
There are records of the Waiters’ Race dating back to at least 1914, but it could be older still. Historically, the Course des Garçons de Café, took place on Bastille Day, although contemporary editions have a bit more variation in date. Bastille Day celebrates the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, during the French Revolution. As the event spread globally, first across Europe and then to other French communities around the world, the Waiters’ Race would still be scheduled on Bastille Day.
Though it is no longer officially held annually, a particularly big edition was held earlier this summer, ahead of the Olympics. Contestants were given a tray with a croissant, coffee cup and glass of water, and had to make their way around a 1.25 mile-long (2km) course.
Over 200 people took part in the 2024 installment, with Pauline Van Wymeersch and Samy Lamrous being crowned Paris’ fastest waitress and waiter respectively.
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Van Wymeersch won comfortably in the women’s category, finishing with an impressive time of just 14 minutes and 12 seconds. She works at the Le Petit Pont cafe, opposite the Notre Dame cathedral. Mr Lamrous came in at a time of 13 minutes and 30 seconds, and he works at La Contrescarpe in Paris’ 5th district.
Seasoned professionals, these two are the crème de la crème of the Paris waiting scene. Van Wymeersch has worked in the industry for 18 years and said: “I love it as much as I hate it. It’s in my skin. I cannot leave it, It’s hard. It’s exhausting. It’s demanding. It’s 12 hours per day. It’s no weekends. It’s no Christmases…It’s part of my DNA. I grew up in a way with a tray in my hand. I have been shaped, in life and in the job, by the bosses who trained me and the customers, all of the people I have met.”
Each of the winners received a medal, as well as two tickets each for the Olympic opening ceremony and a night in a Paris hotel.
New York City held a long-running Waiters’ Race, while Soho, in London, also continued the tradition for much of the 20th century. Germany also held competitions for many years, as did other towns and villages across France.
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