My favourite was at sortie 21 on the A 20. I found it by accident well over 22 years ago now, working for Gauthier I was heading north one late afternoon and running out of hours. I saw an aire on the southbound Boismande (there was no northbound one in those days) and, in desperation I determined to leave at the next sortie and head back south to it. As I came off at 21 and crossed the a/route I caught sight of the resto at the top of the hill, and went there instead. It was the begining of a long association with Marie, who had just taken it over. Whenever my wife and I were going north we left home always late afternoon and spent the night there so both of us became friends with her.
My memory is of a couple of blokes running that one. But that was a while back now. Never knew their names.
I did get chatting to a regular fridge driver in there. Owner driver, he did night runs and always stopped off for an evening meal there. Two Toulouse/Rungis round trips one week, 3 the next.
Yes she did sell up and the next one made big changes inside enlarging the dining area. Marie had already made changes. When I first went in there you were straight into the bar and the dining room was round the back of it adjoining the kitchen. A great big table was there and we all sat round that, but, even though there was room for a dozen or so, later she extended beyond the bar to make a much bigger area with lots of 4 seat tables. After she sold out the whole place was transformed and became unrecognisable with the restaurant starting at the outside wall from the turning to the small parking area. There was a larger parking across the road and I think it is even larger now but I didn’t stop to look yeserday.
The last time I was that way the Resto at J20 was still open. Decent enough but the parking was not as big.