Fine dining at Le Bistrot du Lion

The Peugeot brand has had a reputation for making food appliances for longer than it has made vehicles – now the company is finally combining the two.

Le Bistrot du Lion – or, in comparatively boring English, the Peugeot Foodtruck – was dreamt up and designed by Peugeot Design Lab, the company’s Global Brand Design studio, to appear at Milan Design Week 2015 on April 14 and the French Pavilion at the 2015 World’s Fair, Expo Milan.

“The end-users are always at the heart of all of our designs,” says Cathal Loughnane, head of Peugeot Design Lab. “For the Peugeot Foodtruck, we wanted to create a complete food truck experience, not only creating a kitchen for the chef but a restaurant and cafe for the customers. Much attention was given to opening up the kitchen and allowing the chef and food preparation to be as close to the public as possible.”

The Peugeot Foodtruck doubles in width to offer a versatile space that can be adapted to a variety of environments and events. It includes areas for food preparation, dining and refreshments, equipped with everything needed to comfortably feed 30 patrons, with a collection of standing tables all shaded under Umbrosa parasols. There’s also a DJ booth.

Multifunctional, professional-grade preparation and cooking appliances, two refrigerators and an espresso machine allow all manner of meals to be whipped up – which patrons can watch on the 46-inch screen accompanied by its eight strategically placed Foclal speakers and 32 tweeters. Le Bistrot du Lion is designed to recuperate and recycle all waste.

“We wanted to create a real sense of surprise as the compact Peugeot Foodtruck transforms into an amphitheatre-like dining space,” adds Loughnane.

With Peugeot the world’s only brand to still manufacture tableware and vehicles, it’s a surprise patrons are likely to remember for a while.