The Brothers Who Ate Paris

Paris without us — well, that would be rather a different story," says Jean-Louis Costes with just a hint of a smile, and if you don't know the man you might think he's an amiable megalomaniac. After all, most Parisians have never heard of Costes or his brother Gilbert; they rarely speak to the press. But if you've spent even a weekend in Paris, it's a good bet they have taken your money and shown you a good time. The Costes brothers are limonadiers , French slang for café owners, but theirs is a lemonade empire: a good 40 hotels, cafés and...

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