French pub fined because customers took empty glasses back to the bar

A pub in Brittany has been fined by officials, who accused it of using punters as “undeclared labour” when one was seen taking empty glasses back to the bar. The social security agency URSSAF in Brittany, is demanding that the Mamm-Kounifl music-bar in the town of Locmiquélic pay a €9,000 fine after accusing the owners of using the customers as "undeclared labour" or "travaile dissimulé" as it's called in French.

It was the seemingly ordinary pub ritual of customers taking glasses back to the bar that prompted the suspicious officials who were investigating the premises to act. “Around half-past midnight, a client brought back a tray. She passed by the bar to go to the toilets. That’s when it all kicked off. My husband was pinned against the window by a man,” landlady Maryka Le Floch, said. “A woman threw herself at me showing me her ID card.



“That’s when I realized it was an URSSAF check. They told me that I had been caught in the act of [using] 'undeclared labour'. They thought that the clients were acting like waiters," she added. Mme. Le Floch said the habit of customers bringing empty glasses and trays back to the bar has been part of the ethos of the establishment since it opened ten years ago. “It’s our trademark. We want the customer to feel comfortable, a bit like he’s at home,” she said.

"Sometimes, customers even carry their drinks back to their table on a tray for the second round." Nevertheless a few weeks after the unannounced visit Mme. Le Floch was hit with a €7,900 fine. And in November, she and her husband were even placed in police custody for a short while. Luckily for the couple, a number of customers were able to vouch for the couple and they escaped charges. However, the URSSAF is still pursuing a civil case against the owners and is now demanding a total fine €9,000 because of non-payment of the original penalty. The case will now be examined at a later date at a special court in Brittany.