- Professionals hope that the distance that will be imposed between the tables will only be one meter.
- The capacity of Philippe Etchebest's Bordeaux restaurant will be reduced by half, but he will be able to enlarge his terrace.
- The question of customer feedback is the other big question mark among restaurateurs.
Joined this Thursday morning by 20Minutes , the media head of Bordeaux Philippe Etchebest, takes stock before the announcements on the second phase of the deconfinement, expected during the day. The conditions for reopening restaurants should in particular be detailed by the Prime Minister. At the head of a brasserie, Le Quatrième Mur, and of a Michelin starred restaurant, LA Table d'Hôtes, Philippe Etchebest is part of a group of restaurateurs who brought up the claims of the profession, to the Ministry of Economy.
The reopening date of restaurants on June 2 is no longer a debate at this time?
We will say that it is 90% good. I do not see how the Prime Minister today could tell us that, in the end, we will not reopen until June 15 or the end of June. Psychologically, we are ready for a reopening on June 2, and many restaurateurs, including myself, have started to solicit their suppliers, to prepare. In my brewery, I carried out work, I broke all the benches, which would not have been topical when reopened due to sanitary measures. All this generates costs. What will also cost are the Covid protocols and referents who will have to be active in each of the companies: in terms of service, cooking… It's more staff, who will not be really active, but dedicated to enforce restrictive health measures. But I'm ready, my lights are green.
After the date, the other big announcement expected concerns the distance between customers or between tables. Where were the last discussions on this subject?
The most important thing is that we do not have the mandatory 4 m2 distance between each guest, but I think it is on. When this project was announced to me, I took it for a bad joke. A very bad joke. As much as we were psychologically prepared to set up a meter distance between the tables, which is not an easy task because for some it reduces by half the capacity of customers, but there with the 4 m2, it would have been impossible to open under these conditions. Sanitary measures and social distancing will already make us lose a lot of turnover, and will require a rebalancing at the level of employees, but if it had been otherwise, there was absolutely no point in opening up. But there, we would leave on a distance of one meter between the tables, which seems complicated but reasonable, both to protect our employees and secure our customers.
How much will your restaurant's capacity be reduced?
The capacity of my hall will be reduced by half: from 70 covers I will go to 35. But I am lucky to have a peristyle, since I am at the Grand Théâtre, and with the agreement of the town hall I will be able to enlarge my terrace. So, what I will lose inside, I could put it outside.
Regarding your employees, what measures would be adopted for working in the kitchen?
We are waiting to see what will happen, nothing is sure yet, but you know we already have sanitary protocols in the kitchen. So we do not expect a revolution, except that we will have to wear masks in the kitchen. On the other hand, I am not convinced by the gloves, except for specific preparations. It is better to wash your hands regularly, which you already do. In my case, I am lucky to have large kitchens, which will allow me to respect social distancing, knowing that I will reduce my workforce, even if I want to work all of my 60 employees, and that they will therefore alternate periods of partial unemployment with periods of work.
Welcoming customers will also be an important step?
Of course. I heard that customers should be masked for travel: they should arrive masked, and only remove the mask when seated at their table. Then, for any movement, the mask should be replaced. The waiters would also wear masks, which seems obvious to me.
What is the trend for customers: do you think they will be there from June 2?
This is the big question mark. I tell myself that there is a strong desire from the population to want to come back to the restaurant. People spent two months of confinement cooking at home, and it was a good thing because they could not rediscover our local artisans, but today I think they are a little fed up, and that they want to go back to eat at the restaurant and have a drink at the bars. But it won't have to be euphoria either, and stay cautious.
What would be the size of groups allowed in restaurants?
I understand that we could accommodate groups of up to ten people. Which has evolved, because at the beginning it was only six people.
When do you plan to reopen your reservations?
From the Prime Minister's announcements, as soon as it's official. The first person to return to work with us will be the person in charge of reservations.
Will you also reopen LA Table d'Hôtes?
Yes, even if its capacity will increase from twelve to six people.
Regarding the terraces, one of the important measures, which is taken at the local level, is the authorization to enlarge the terraces, it will be a real boost?
Completely, this will compensate for the lack of customers received inside. The mayor Nicolas Florian was sensitive to this, in Bordeaux there is still an activity of restaurants which is important, it is therefore necessary to find solutions, while remaining fair with everyone.
What is the trend in the number of restaurants that will reopen?
Not everyone will reopen for sure. Michel Sarran should not reopen. And there are many others, because for some it would be opening to lose money and therefore it is not possible. We have not solved this liability problem either, and I can understand those who do not want to reopen, if we are responsible for everything, including customers.
Among the aids in catering, there is the question of prolonging partial unemployment. Where we are ?
There is nothing official yet, and on this I am very afraid of a wave of layoffs in the profession. Partial unemployment, which is covered at 100%, must be extended at least until the end of the year, or even more. There must also be exemption from charges for all, and the reduction of VAT to 5.5% as well. We are coming. And of course the solidarity fund, which must be for everyone, from the crêperie to three-stars, from the bar to the nightclub.
Lille
Hauts-de-France: A solution that reconciles bistro opening and sanitary rules
Montpellier
Deconfinement in Montpellier: By the sea, the reopening of the huts paved with uncertainties
- Society
- Deconfinement
- Aquitaine
- Restoration
- Bordeaux
- Philippe Etchebest