Paris's First Nudist Restaurant to Close Due to Lack of Customers
LatestParis, the city that recently institutionalized public urination and generally promotes libertines, seems like a place where dining in the nude would be popular, but in fact it is not. Or at least, not at a public restaurant whose name evokes orgasm.
The Independent reported on Tuesday that Paris’s first nudist restaurant—launched by the 43-year-old non-nudist twins Mike and Stephane Saada—is shuttering in February after only 15 months of operations. O’naturel’s owners reportedly said of the restaurant’s looming closure, “We will only remember the good times, meeting beautiful people and customers who were delighted to share exceptional moments.”
According to the translated version of the restaurant’s website, O’naturel was dreamed up to offer “the pleasure of dining naked all year in the capital in the respect of naturist values.” The restaurant serves—but is not primarily known for—classic French dishes with a twist such as “Lobster salad, preserved gizzards, red wine coulis and mesclun sprouts” and “Crème brûlée revisited.”
Nonetheless, the gimmick failed to deliver, as multiple outlets are reporting the closure is due to a disappointing lack of customers. Perhaps this is because restaurant nudity is in competition with another great pastime of Parisian night life: dressing in chic outfits.