I have made a lunch reservation but the time were limited, not because of availability but restricted. I finish a French Revolution tour at the restaurant and thought it would be fun to go for lunch. There was nothing available between 12:45 and 2:00., and we might be late for 12:45. I am just curious if anyone know why they stop at 12:45, Perhaps I could make it on another day, but it was just so convenient.
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
Traditional French restaurants have a rather strict noon lunch window because they close in the afternoon and open again at 7 or 7:30 for dinner. People who start lunch late and linger then push people into overtime since staff leaves after lunch and returns for dinner prep.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1140 posts
Traditional French restaurants have a rather strict noon lunch
window...
Not the case at La Procope. They are open from noon to midnight. My guess is they don't want to do reservations in that time frame for whatever reasons. Or maybe, they are already booked by people doing what you are planning.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5526 posts
I am looking at their website. They have two services for lunch. The first service (DÉJEUNER 1ER SERVICE) has reservations at 12, 12:15, 12:30, and 12:45. The second service (DÉJEUNER 2ÈME SERVICE) has reservations at 2, 2:15, 2:30, and 2:45. These are the choices; you need to pick a reservation within either the first or second service.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1140 posts
Actually, they show reservations from 2:00 to 4:15 in 15-minute increments. And they are open noon to midnight per their web site and Google. Maybe they just allow walk-ins during the early-afternoon for overflow dining without having to tie up tables for reserved parties.
Posted by
Paris
6905 posts
This setup is rare for lunch (common for dinner): they have two seatings, one at 12-ish and one at 2, to maximize table occupation. So if you show up at, say, 1.15, you might face a bit of a wait!
I ate at le Procope last November and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, by the way. I expected a bit of a tourist trap, yet it was really quite good.