Investment year
2021
Lead team
P. Klocanas
A. Guillen
M. Desvignes
  • Expertise
    LBO
  • Fund
    WCP#3
  • Status
    In portfolio
  • Geographical area
    France
  • Business sector
    Catering

Company overview

Groupe Bourdoncle is a leading French operator of bistros and brasseries. The restaurant group is managed and majority owned by Thierry Bourdoncle, a passionate entrepreneur who was born in Aveyron to a family of brasserie owners. Groupe Bourdoncle currently has 30 establishments, located in Paris and its suburbs (Le Durand Dupont, Le Mabillon and Le Hibou, among others), but also in Arcachon and Megève, on the French Riviera and on the Normandy coast. For nearly 25 years, Thierry Bourdoncle has been developing a collection of restaurants with clear values:

  • exceptional places and locations with a strong identity;
  • a culinary experience of high quality;
  • particularly attentive service warranting a relatively high average spend per head (€40).

In 2000, the chef Maurice Guillouët (formerly of the Tour d’Argent and the Ritz) joined the group to create seasonal menus, emphasizing local products from the best suppliers in France, in order to offer high-quality gastronomic cuisine to its customers.

Our approach

We are assisting Groupe Bourdoncle in pursuing an ambitious acquisitions strategy, with multiple establishments added to the group in less than one year:

  • in July 2021, Le Café de Paris, Les Planches and Villa Gabrielle (renamed Le Hibouville) in Deauville, Diego Plage and Les Marquises in Arcachon, and Eugène Eugène in Puteaux;
  • in September 2021, Le Petit Poucet in the 18th arrondissement of Paris;
  • in December 2021, Les Voiles de Megève (renamed Amore Hibou).

As we have also helped to bring the group up to standards, it is now well on its way to realizing the full potential of all its restaurants.

Key   figures

“We need to continue going even further to promote local sourcing, a concept that relates as much to our customers as our suppliers. We will be offering simpler, more affordable options in our restaurants for local customers, while still remaining attractive for affluent international visitors to France.”
Thierry Bourdoncle – Founder and President of Groupe Bourdoncle

Making a difference

Groupe Bourdoncle has made strong commitments in several key areas:

  • Human resources, with major efforts to prevent occupational hazards, promote career development within the group and train employees.
  • Quality of supplies and suppliers, by sourcing local, seasonal, PDO and labelled products and by ensuring product traceability.
  • Waste and energy management, by limiting food waste and by putting measures in place to reduce energy usage at its establishments.