Europeans do service with style and there’s no better example than Paris’ Course des Cafés (cafe race).

The Marais came alive on Sunday morning as approximately 200 of the city’s waiters took over the district’s cobblestone streets, jostling to be crowned the best at their profession.

They donned the traditional French servers’ uniform of white shirt, black pants and black apron while carrying a classic cafe-issue round tray that held the common French breakfast; coffee, croissant and a glass of water.

The race, which hadn’t been held since 2011, had three rules; the tray had to be held in one hand only, you couldn’t run and don’t even think about spilling a drop or crumb during the 2km route – judges inspected trays at the finish line.

The waiters set off from the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, which will also be the start of the Olympic marathon. The return of the race, and the starting point, isn’t a coincidence. It’s to highlight the skills, finesse and sportsmanship a French waiter needs to traverse a bustling brasserie, busy bistro or packed wine bar.

The race was open to professionals, apprentices and part-time trainee servers.

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Samy Lamrous won the men’s title, with a time of 13 minutes 30 seconds. Pauline Van Wymeersch was the top women’s gong at 14 minutes 12 seconds. They both won bragging rights, a medal and a night’s stay at a fancy hotel.

Similar events have taken place in Marseille, Trouville, Limoges and other towns and cities. The race was established in 1914 but stopped due to a lack of sponsorship. With the Olympics just around the corner, City Hall and the city’s water authority, Eau de Paris, provided €100,000 for the trays, aprons, coffee and croissants.

A serious side of the event was drawing attention to the lack of staff in Paris’ hospitality sector.

Stéphane Counelakis, a director at the LIPP brasserie, told The Guardian the race was a way of promoting a profession “that for me is extraordinary”.

Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj, a deputy city mayor in charge of trade, told the paper:

“The relaunch of this race … is aimed at promoting the excellence of French-style service in Parisian bistros and cafes, which is part of our capital’s intangible cultural heritage.”

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