Dijon restaurateurs run out of sunflower oil

How to cook with oil… without oil? In Burgundy, restaurateurs can no longer obtain sufficient supplies of sunflower oil, and the prices of fries are soaring.

“In order to avoid shortages and so that all customers can be served, we have limited the quantity of oil and flour per week and per customer: 20 liters of oil and 100 kg of flour.” This SMS, the boss of the Chick d’Or in Dijon received it from his supplier. A blow for this fast food specializing in fried chicken.

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“It will be very complicated for us, because we need 160 liters of oil per week“, laments Robin Thomas. 160 litres: that’s eight times more than what its supplier imposes on it. So he had to complete his orders by sourcing elsewhere. But at an exorbitant cost.

“In January, the can was 40 euros. Today, it’s 130 euros!”

Robin Thomas, patron du Chick d’Or

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But the boss of the Chick d’Or has no choice. “For frying, sunflower oil is always better. If we change oil, it will influence the quality of our products.” So he had to decide to increase his prices: a 5% increase.

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However, there is an alternative to sunflower oil, but there too, the shortage is starting to happen: beef fat. This is the fat used daily by Alain Fournier, owner of Chez Ti, a Belgian chip shop in Dijon. Usually, he orders it in boxes of 10 kg. But today, “that’s all that’s left“, he tells us, showing the contents of a bowl. “I have nothing left after that, and I can’t order any.“

“People who can’t find oil resort to beef fat.”

Alain Fournier, owner of Chez Ti

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This new demand in turn creates a shortage. How to do ? While some restaurateurs may attempt to find alternatives using less fat, “a chip shop that has no oil, it’s hard”observes Alain Fournier. “If I can’t work, I’ll have to close the restaurant.”