France’s cafes are suffering decline at an alarming rate. The Financial Times reports 510,000 were in business in 1910, 107,000 in 1980 and 40,000 today. Long hours have made some work shy, boulangeries have eaten into lunchtime profits by offering sandwiches and cold drinks at lower prices, and patrons have become scarcer, more willing to make their own food at home. Financial Times (Weekend) 11/02/06 page W7