The word has got round: anyone wanting to dine in the rolling restaurant owned by Charles and Mélina Moncouyoux must reserve early. The 26 seats on the top deck of the former doubledecker coach are booked up months in advance. “We want to offer high-quality catering in the small towns and villages where there are no restaurants, without the residents having to drive anywhere to get it,” explains chef Charles Moncouyoux. “For that we needed a vehicle in which both a kitchen and a dining room could be set up – the Setra S 328 DT fulfilled these requirements perfectly.” On the bottom deck there is now a professional kitchen, store room, office and driver’s cab. The top deck is stylishly furnished with tables and upholstered seats.

When Charles and Mélina bought the used S 328 DT from a Breton tour operator, the coach only had 690,000 kilometres on the clock. Good enough reason to give it a second life. A roof elevation to trim the standing room on the top deck to 1.85 metres was part of the following conversion measures, as was adapting the large windows, which can now be fully opened and allow a genuine panoramic view of the countryside. The coach is also equipped with a water tank, toilets and its own power supply and is completely independent. All the work was carried out in close consultation with Setra in order to meet all the manufacturer’s requirements and the statutory regulations. Nor do Charles and Mélina shy away from culinary efforts to keep their growing number of guests satisfied. The success has proved them right. “We are fully booked every day. And our guests are not only residents of the places where we take our bus, but sometimes come from far away to try out our cuisine,” says Charles.

To make sure this success lasts, the couple leave nothing to chance. The day thus starts early for both of them. When they get up at 6 o’clock, Charles takes his place at the wheel first of all and plays the “bus driver” – which can certainly be a challenge on the narrow country roads in the Auvergne. Yet that does not keep him from driving by his various suppliers to buy the fresh, regional products for his improvised but always high-quality seasonal menus. “The combination of high standards and simplicity enables us to serve food that is characterised first and foremost by freshness and

After the morning shopping, the task is to find a suitable, stable place to park the restaurant bus before Charles makes his way to the kitchen. Here he can demonstrate his skills and imagination as a cook. Mélina takes care of the reservations and administrative jobs before turning into a perfect chef de rang in the next instant. Thanks to their relevant experience under head chefs and in top restaurants, they are now able to offer their guests an unprecedented experience. In the natural and cosy atmosphere of the bus, they invite their guests to an unforgettable culinary voyage of discovery.