Restaurant INDONESIA was founded in 1982 by four French and four Indonesian people in order to, originally, offer employment to Indonesian political refugees whose diplomas held no value in France. Restaurant INDONESIA’s multiple targets: to have Indonesian refugees be part of and acclimatize in France, but also to promote regularly the Indonesian culture through events, including exhibitions, dances, discussions…
Restaurant INDONESIA is unique as it is being organized as a SCOP (cooperative and participatory association). Thus, the organization, legally called SCOP Fraternité (fellowship), belongs to all the employees who together control the management of the restaurant. Unlike a traditional organization, a SCOP has the particularity of sharing all the benefits with all the employees. And so the restaurant ties up to “gotong royong”, a tradition of mutual aid practiced for centuries in Indonesia for the distribution of the water channels in the rice fields, with equal benefits for all. After 20 years of existence, it is clear today that restaurant INDONESIA and SCOP Fraternité are a success. They stand for a commendable experience of cooperation between actors from diverse backgrounds and may be considered a success in the field of mutual assistance.
Last, but not least, INDONESIA is one of the very few restaurants in Paris to offer a traditional Indonesian cuisine while inviting its patrons to discover its original and delicate flavors.
