Ten weeks they were waiting for that: the cafetiers and restaurateurs will put the cover back on Tuesday, with a thousand health precautions but also with the hope of reviving a sector strong with two million employees, badly shaken by the containment measures.
• The “joy” of the recovery
"The standards have started to flash, reservations are being made" : Hervé Becam, Confederal Vice-President of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (Umih), told AFP "jump from joy". For him, "it is the optimism that reigns today even if there are obviously question marks".
"We want to leave, we were too marked by this closure," added RTL Didier Chenet, president of the National Group of Independent Hotel, Restaurant and Catering (GNI) -Synhorcat. At the famous restaurant of Maison Kammerzell near Strasbourg Cathedral, we measure distances between tables, we dust and disinfect while ensuring: "Tuesday morning, we will be ready".
• Strict health supervision
The arsenal of precautionary measures will greatly limit reception capacities: at least one meter between each table, no more than ten people per table, wearing a mask for staff and for customers when they are not installed, no consumption standing at the bar and direction of circulation inside to avoid crossing. "We ordered masks, hydroalcoholic gels, we worked on the circulation plan in establishments, we are actively preparing" , summarizes Franck Trouet. This protocol is "above all logistics, (it) does not cost much in terms of equipment but in terms of loss of reception capacity".
"We are also going to work so that a reduction in reception capacity of 50% for example does not mean 50% of turnover lost," he explains, referring to "a little more renewal of the tables, better organization of services and reservations. ”
• The “orange” zone looks gray
In Ile-de-France, Mayotte and Guyana, always on the alert orange because the virus circulates there more strongly than elsewhere, only the terraces can reopen, at least until June 22. "It will continue to be very difficult for us," worries Gabrielle Beck, patroness of Tintamarre, in the 19th arrondissement of the capital, a restaurant "narrow, all in length, with only 28 seats in the dining room ... and two or three on the terrace. "
"Rather than zero, let's start with something" for those who can, we philosophize at the GNI-Synorcat. "A winning day is a day of activity for a large number of companies, professionals and employees" . Didier Chenet recognizes that "in the green zone morale is better because they hope to save a large part of their season".
In Paris, the city has decided to allow establishments to extend their terrace free of charge until the end of September to allow them a little more activity and plans to pedestrianize around twenty streets.
• Not all reopen
Cafes, bars and restaurants are among the companies most affected by the health crisis, because unlike shops, they could not reopen on May 11. Representing more than 7% of GDP, the sector benefited from a support plan of 18 billion euros from the State. But according to a GNI survey conducted in April, about 17% of its members said they couldn't reopen. "And a month later, we are worried about a certain number of them," Franck Trouet, his spokesman , told AFP. "There are some who throw in the towel but we always want to be optimistic and I think that with the reopening, some who had given up will still make the effort."
Some Parisian establishments "will wait until September" because a full reopening after June 22 would make little sense while the summer is quieter in Paris, explains Didier Chenet, president of GNI-Synhorcat. "So if it's to reopen and reap losses again, they prefer to wait."
• Uncertain prospects
The question for the GNI-Synhorcat spokesperson, "is how long will we have to follow these rules?" (...) We will not be able to hold months and months like that ”. "We will do the accounts at the end of the year, because some are kept alive with the aid, but the recovery will be difficult, with the debts, the resumption of bank maturities in nine months" , continues Franck Trouet. "The horizon is that of reduced, degraded activity." According to this professional, compliance with the protocol will lead to "an activity halved for restaurants, or even two-thirds for cafes".
For the vice-president of Umih, the situation "is not insurmountable" even if vigilance is required. "The yellow vests, the demonstrations, the strikes were also difficult periods, this is not to say that the entrepreneurs in the sector have given up," said Hervé Becam, confident in the ability of entrepreneurs to bounce back.