Covid-19: Not all bars and restaurants fared so badly this summer

The new restrictions imposed on restaurants and bars have only reinforced the concerns of catering professionals, already strongly affected by the two months of confinement.

However, breweries and other establishments were beginning to see the end of the tunnel, thanks to a “rather” successful summer season for a large part of them.

According to a study carried out by Addition, a company specializing in the cash registers sector, based on cash receipts from more than 6,000 of its customers, the drop in turnover in June / July and August is only 6.7% compared to the same period last year.

“The summer season has not been that bad, welcomes Olivier Repessé, the co-founder of the company.

Since the reopening of establishments in June, the French have rather returned to restaurants.

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Some regions are doing better than others and have even made more revenue than last summer.

This is the case for Occitanie and Hauts-de-France, which recorded an increase of 8%, Bourgogne Franche-Comté (+ 6%) and New Aquitaine and Grand-Est (+ 5% ).

A higher average ticket

In Sète, Corinne Nicoulet's establishment, L'Essentiel, thus saw its turnover explode: + 60% in July and + 33% in August compared to last year.

“We refused people every day,” she exclaims.

Our big asset was our terrace right in front of the beach that we were able to expand to 100 m2 (compared to 70 m2 before) and which was very popular.

We have really had two exceptional months.

"To such an extent, moreover, that the losses linked to confinement have been caught up:" We are on an increase of about + 10% at the end of August over the year ", she rejoices, pointing out a month of September" 20% increase.

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Maxence Rabat, the manager of the Lock keeper in Gravelines in Hauts-de-France also had a "good summer" with an increase in turnover by 10 to 20% "due in particular to a higher average ticket. of 5 euros, ”he explains.

“We were full every day, with customers who had more pleasure in having aperitifs or desserts, he explains.

We also welcomed a lot of Parisians at weekends, many more than usual, ”he explains, also delighted at the return of business meals in September.

In Ile-de-France, teleworking has caused harm

A finding that does not apply to the Paris region, where restaurants have experienced a 20% drop in their revenue over the summer season, according to study figures.

"Even before the absence of foreign tourists, it is especially teleworking which has caused the most damage to Parisian establishments", points out Olivier Repessé of l'Addition.

Romain Rozier, manager of a “Salad Bar” in the 19th arrondissement (Make Your Lunch) confirms: “Usually, I have an average of 130 seats per day with mainly a clientele of employees who work in the area and a few foreign tourists.

Today, it is hardly if I arrive at 80 covers.

It's even more like 50-60 ”, he laments when his turnover has been halved.

“I thought it would be better in September.

But it's the same, people still work a lot from home, ”he says.

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The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region (-8%) as well as Corsica (-9%) or even Normandy (-7%) are also in the red during the summer, mainly due to the absence of foreign tourists.

For the SRP group (Provencal catering company), which manages six establishments (five in Vaucluse and one in Bouches-du-Rhône), turnover at the end of August thus shows a drop of 30% over the last 12 rolling month.

“Attendance was pretty good this summer.

But it was essentially a French clientele who did not have the same mode of consumption or the same purchasing power as foreign tourists.

They do not spend as much on the whole, ”emphasizes Gérard Dutartre, the leader who now expects difficult weeks.

“We are not yet affected by the closures.

But we are obviously very afraid that this will happen to us too.

It would be a disaster, ”he sighs, asking the authorities“ to stop pointing fingers at restaurants as if it was our home that people were catching the virus.

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"It makes no sense", thundered this restaurateur in Aix

In Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), Pascal Legrain, him, does not take off.

While the restaurant Le Cambarouse that he co-founded is forced to close its doors, he has a hard time understanding the new constraints imposed on the sector.

“We are closing everything in Aix and Marseille.

But people can very well go to eat or have a drink in Cassis, that doesn't make any sense, ”complains the one who works for this establishment as a consultant.

“We have however taken all possible health precautions while respecting the distancing measures.

But today, we are paying for those who have not done so, ”he sighs.

His establishment was already struggling to recover from the three months of closure linked to confinement.

Because if the customers were rather there this summer, this is no longer the case since the start of the school year.

“The summer season was encouraging with a national clientele who responded and helped to partly compensate for the absence of foreign tourists,” he explains.

On the other hand, September is a disaster, because we have not recovered at all the business clientele and the tourists are much less numerous.

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Its restaurant works in particular a lot with hotels that host business seminars or with cruise passengers.

So many customers who are still missing today.

"In recent weeks, we had about 70 covers per day against 120 on average usually, it is 40% less", he explains.

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This new closure thus threatens an already fragile balance.

“We are sailing in a fog.

We can no longer see the end, he laments.

For the moment, we are leaving for a fortnightly closure period.

We are going to juggle paid holidays and partial unemployment.

But I don't know how long we'll be able to hold out.

There will be layoffs if there are no support measures from the state.

It is the most complete blur and it is hopeless.

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