Born in 1900, Roger Spinhirny was abandoned at birth along with his brother. A kind-hearted man fascinated by food, he readily cared for the most destitute, among whom he had once been one, offering meals every Thursday to the orphans of Paris. The shoe repair shop he transformed into a restaurant in 1930 was an immediate and immense success, becoming, within a few years, a privileged meeting place for political and artistic figures, including Picasso, Balthus, Saint-Exupéry, Mistinguett, Galabru, and even Pope John XXIII and the Queen Mother of England!

Known at the beginning of the last century for its libertine ways, the rue des Grands Augustins was home to Pablo Picasso, who painted "Guernica," his most famous canvas, at number 7. After the war, the neighborhood was overrun by artists and revelers who still flock there today. Taken over by François Pagot – an artist, a bit of an artist, a lot of a reveler – Roger la Grenouille revives that blend of cheeky irreverence and conviviality which, in its heyday, made it an essential part of Parisian life and nightlife.