"
I don't know if we will hold out until then
".
Michelin-starred chef Philippe Etchebest is sounding the alarm again this Wednesday following the announcement that restaurants will continue to be closed until January 20.
“
It's going to be 6 months of closure cumulatively.
It's huge.
Why are we being targeted?
Stigmatized?
It is terrible.
Not everyone will get up.
There will be a lot of restaurants that will close,
”he warns.
"
The radical way is to put everyone out of work,
" he said.
The chef, who has become one of the spokespersons for the profession, assures us that many restaurateurs will have no choice, in particular because of the paid holidays that accumulate during partial unemployment.
“
I have 60 employees and 900 days of paid vacation to pay.
This is not normal,
”he insists.
“
People are cracking up.
There is financial and moral bankruptcy.
Entire families are struggling.
Many work as a couple with their children.
These families are in danger.
A lifetime of work is wasted.
What is happening is dramatic and the State must be aware of it,
”explains the restaurateur.
“
We row all the time.
We always do the round back.
Some drown, we watch the boat sink and we do nothing.
It's no longer possible.
There is a climate of revolt which is mounting, I see it in the messages I receive every day.
We are not conditioned to demonstrate, we have never done so.
But it's likely that it will happen.
We will see what the unions will do,
”he threatens.
A sector in danger
According to him, restaurants are not clusters.
“
But why make the difference between company restaurants, canteens and restaurants?
He wonders.
“
There is no danger with very strict sanitary protocols that protect customers and employees.
Perhaps a culprit was needed and it fell on us
”.
Philippe Etchebest recalls that the entire industry is in danger, especially restaurant suppliers.
“
In December, some artisans make 40% of their turnover during the holidays.
What are they going to do?
There will be terrible collateral damage
”.
Philippe Etchebest assures that he believes in "
a happy future
" even if this health crisis "
will leave traces
".
He welcomes the new aid announced by the President of the Republic on Tuesday evening but calls on the latter to establish "
a survival plan
".
"
The recovery plan, we will see after
".
