• Philippe Etchebest believes that the weather forecast for the next few days is not compatible with the reopening of his terrace located under a peristyle.

  • If it will reopen on June 9, he warns however that it will be necessary to be very careful throughout the summer.

  • He also announces that he hopes to inaugurate his new project, in the Chartrons district, in September.

While restaurants will be allowed to reopen their terraces on Wednesday,

20 Minutes

asked Bordeaux chef Philippe Etchebest on Monday.

He confirms that he will not reopen the terrace of his Bordeaux restaurant Le Quatrième Mur, preferring to wait until June 9, when restaurants will also be able to open part of their rooms.

The starred and sworn

chef

of

Top Chef

, also calls for discipline for this summer, and looks back on his other news, that is to say the opening of a new restaurant in Bordeaux, in the Chartrons district.

Why does the Bordeaux chef not want to reopen his terrace this Wednesday?

Philippe Etchebest announced it in the JDD on Sunday: he will not reopen the terrace of the Fourth Wall, his restaurant installed in one of the wings of the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux, this Wednesday. "I rarely open my terrace in May, because I am under a peristyle which is cool because of the stone," he explains to

20 Minutes

.

It's an advantage when it's 45 ° C outside, but when it's 17 or 18 ° C it's not sustainable.

And given the weather today, I'm definitely not going to open on Wednesday.

However, I will make tables available, if customers coming for take-out wish to have them.

And I can not wait to be on June 9, because there I will reopen, the constraints being more acceptable with the possibility of opening the rooms.

Those who can reopen on Wednesday do so, but I prefer to wait.

"

He advocates discipline

Philippe Etchebest is convinced that “we could have reopened the restaurants earlier, by anticipating the situation. "Now he also understands" the government's choice to reopen in stages, so that there is no public assault, perhaps at the risk of seeing the epidemic curve start again "even if it does not does not believe that restaurants "are particularly responsible for the health situation." »And the rest? “We will have to be very disciplined this summer,” warns the Bordeaux chef. “Professionals will have to be rigorous in the application of barrier gestures, and our customers will have to be indulgent in the face of these rules which will have to be respected. Above all, we must not be shown the finger again, because of too festive gatherings, as was the case last summer.We will have to remain cautious during all the holidays, especially with the unknowns around this Indian variant, and in particular if the vaccination does not meet the government's expectations, which I do not hope. "

Take-out, new ways of working… What the crisis has changed

Like many other restaurateurs, Philippe Etchebest has chosen to offer take-away sales when the restaurants are closed.

“I can't say that it was profitable, but it was a way of keeping in touch with the customers, and with our teams, to maintain a certain activity.

It was necessary because last year, when we resumed, it took a month of adaptation to find automatisms.

We are like high level athletes: when we lack training, we have to come back to the level.

"

Our dossier on deconfinement

The crisis has also brought about changes in the way of working.

“There were some positive things that I'm going to keep going.

For example, before I changed the card every week, now the QR Code menu will allow me to save paper and ink, and it's very practical.

I didn't think it would be possible.

Another change, the banquet dressage, which consists of placing all the cutlery on the table, will also continue.

I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been forced to put new things in place.

"

The delayed project of his new restaurant

Launched in 2018, its restaurant project on the Chartrons market square has fallen behind schedule.

The crisis went through there, but also legal disputes, a neighbor of the building bought by Philippe Etchebest, having filed several appeals leading to cancellations of building permits.

Philippe Etchebest was even recently condemned for moral prejudice against his neighbor.

Despite everything, the work on his project was able to continue.

And the Bordeaux chef announces “hope for an opening next September, even if here too, everything will depend on the health context, and what will happen this summer.

And on the judicial side?

"Things are in progress, I will speak about it in due course", he blurted out.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: Philippe Etchebest sentenced for non-pecuniary damage in the dispute over his new restaurant

Montpellier

Coronavirus in Montpellier: For the reopening, bars and restaurants will (perhaps) be able to expand their terraces

  • Aquitaine

  • Bordeaux

  • Restoration

  • Philippe Etchebest

  • Coronavirus

  • Deconfinement

  • Covid 19

  • Society