The communal table is centrepiece in every Le Pain Quotidien. Established with the first Le Pain in Belgium, when the founder Alain Coumont needing reasonably priced furniture found a long seamstresses table. (see B&W image) It worked so well for uniting the customer and giving the café its sense of warmth and community that it has been used ever since.

Every day on the communal tables gather an entrancing mix of peoples – ladies meeting for lunch, friends catching up for coffee and cakes, workers on a break, business colleagues having a meeting, mothers and babies, tourists and shoppers – relaxing, working, resting and enjoying.

The origins
The origins of the word ‘communal’ refer to the act of sharing, and doing something together. On a grand scale, the word commune has now become synonymous with the life and work of a collective – and so fittingly perhaps – it is a place where we encourage sharing of time and space with other people in the restaurant.

So while there are tables and chairs available all around the restaurant, the centrally positioned Communal Table is the place to be. Give it a try next time you visit one of the stores.