More than once over the years, my mom has mentioned a novel she really enjoyed, but can't remember the name. I would love to help her find it.

Supposedly it's about a guy who opens a Parisian restaurant in order to access an archaeological site below it. He gets the food for his restaurant by tunneling underneath the restaurant next door and stealing their food. In the end the guy collapses the tunnel down on himself and the archaeological site.

I realize that's not much to go on, and I apologize if the details are vague or incorrect, but if the premise sound familiar to anyone, I would appreciate you sharing.