Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Café Français, founded in 1897 in Bourg-en-Bresse, is an emblematic establishment located at 7 avenue Alsace-Lorraine. Originally a café, it became a brewery in 1952 under the leadership of Pierre Ramboz (1930-2017), which took over the establishment in 1948. His uncle, Joseph Ramboz (1897-1982), had owned it since 1932. The place was renamed Le Français in 1981. Its interior decorations, including stucco, woodwork and Art Deco marquise from 1928, have been protected since 2010.

During the Second World War, the café houses secret meetings of the Maquis de l'Ain and the Haut-Jura, as in May 1943, where Henri Romans-Petit is confirmed chief of the local maquis. The establishment, frequented by cultural figures such as Roger Vailland, also embodies Bressane's intellectual and gastronomic life. In 1992, a Friends of the French Association was created to preserve its heritage.

Architecturally, the eclectic building (late 19th century) features a moulded cement facade, with wrought iron balconies and square bays. Inside, the restaurant room, adorned with caramel woodwork, mirrors and vegetable box ceilings, reflects the luxury of the breweries of the time. The kitchen features local AOP products, such as Bresse chicken or Bresse cream, with 300 chickens served monthly.

Transmitted over three generations of the Ramboz family, the place combines history, resistance and gastronomy. Since 1995, Pierre Ramboz (son) has continued this tradition, while welcoming celebrities and politics of passage. Coffee remains a symbol of Burgian life, between architectural heritage and collective memory.

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