Beginnings

In 1922, Auguste Point – at that time the owner of the buffet
at the railway station in Louhans (Saône & Loire) –
requested entry into the Buffets de France chain, but was refused.

It should be understood that at that time, people travelled by rail, and railway station buffets, unlike their modern
counterparts, were very well-frequented establishments
with a quality clientèle.
Furious, Auguste Point decided to leave Louhans and move to Lyon,
but businesses were very expensive in that flourishing city
ruled by the silk industry.

He therefore turned his attention to the Guieu restaurant in Vienne, attracted by its already-considerable reputation.
At the farewell party held on 10th September 1923,
the day on which it was sold to Auguste Point,
Léon Guieu said to his family that Auguste Point had bought
the restaurant for his son, ‘a young idiot who wants to introduce modern-style cooking’. There was a certain regret at Léon Guieu’s
departure, but this was soon replaced by showers of praise.