Jean-Luc's Bistro

Jean-Luc of Jean-Luc's Bistro Jean-Louis of The Belgian Restaurant

Jean Luc Salles Chef and Businessman     Jean Luc Salles came to the United States nine years ago to be with his American wife, Denise. He comes from Créteil, France, where he worked with his father, who is also is the restaurant business. Jean Luc and Denise do not have any kids yet, but they have a cat named Sushi. Jean Luc worked for Fresh Plus Grocery and also for French Affair Catering, Inc. before he established his restaurant in 1995; Jean Luc's French Bistro was established in November of that year. Jean Luc is the CEO and the executive chef of the restaurant. He has fifteen employees: three are French; the rest are American. The judiciary statue of the the bistro is French Affair Catering, Inc., which is a corporation. The business sector that Jean Luc's French Bistro belongs to is the third sector. It is ,of course a service business since it's a restaurant. Jean Luc does not have any professional contacts abroad, only those with his family, in France. All of his suppliers are in Texas, not in France. Jean Luc buys his products and his wines from companies who import their resources from France, and then sell them to restaurants like Jean Luc's French Bistro. This is very convenient for Jean Luc.     Jean Luc mentioned that business in a restaurant is very different in the United States in contrast to France. "Everyone here is always in a hurry; they have to eat so quickly. In France, one can spend two or three hours eating lunch or dinner, but here, half an hour is enough." Jean Luc says that his American clients only want to eat a main course, but in France his clients order several courses including an appetizer and a dessert. A fixed price menu is a new concept to Americans. According to Jean Luc, his clients are for the most part sophisticated, and they are not very young. He does not see a lot of students come in. The majority of the bistro's customers are people who like to travel. Jean luc thinks that younger people do not frequent his restaurant because of the prices, but he feels that the prices at French Bistro are practical. A year later, business is good, and The Austin Chronicle has named Jean-Luc's French Bistro as the the restaurant with "the best French décor." Jean Luc's French Bistro is located at 705 Colorado Street.