Usually behind the stove, the gourmet chef has walked past a market stall.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Aymeric and Céline Dreux, the owners of the Maison des Blés, a hotel complex located in Boutervilliers, "hang on".
Far from returning their aprons, they are struggling to maintain an activity despite the new closure of their restaurant Le Bouche à oreille and their brasserie imposed with the 2nd confinement.
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This restaurant in Boutervilliers offers gourmet meals to take away
To pay the tens of thousands of euros in charges that are falling, you have to bring in a little money.
“In one week, we had to pay more than 40,000 euros in charges,” says Aymeric Dreux.
Mainly the Urssaf for the contributions, but also the water bills ... These are all deferred from the first confinement that fall, while we are closed.
"
Without being able to receive their clients in the dining room, Aymeric and Céline Dreux go to them.
Since November 24, they have been moving to the markets of southern Essonne.
They started with that of Etampes, and are now present from Tuesday to Sunday in the markets of three municipalities (Arpajon and Dourdan in addition).
Aymeric Dreux calls for exemption from charges
“I didn't think I would one day become a street hawker,” smiles Aymeric Dreux.
But we must move forward.
Last January, my wife and I inaugurated the Maison des Blés (
Editor's note: a complex comprising an upscale hotel, a gourmet restaurant, a brasserie and a bar
).
A project for which we have invested 3.5 million euros.
Bank drafts fall.
"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the leader does not want to blame the government blindly.
“There is an unprecedented health crisis, we cannot pretend that the coronavirus does not exist,” emphasizes Aymeric Dreux.
I am not asking that we give specific gifts to restaurateurs.
But let us at least be exempt from the charges of the first confinement since we still cannot carry out our activity normally.
"
800 menus sold per week
He welcomes partial unemployment.
"But apart from this measure, I did not receive any money from the State," Aymeric Dreux assures us.
We keep talking about aid, but all that is put in place are loans, like the PGE (Editor's note: loan guaranteed by the State).
Some colleagues borrowed to pay their deferred charges for the first confinement.
It is not healthy at all.
Some establishments don't have a choice because they don't have cash flow, and I think 25% of restaurants are at risk of going bankrupt.
We are lucky to have a little reserves, but the more we hit it, the more it weakens us.
It is for this reason that we are fighting to generate a little turnover despite everything.
"
He manages to sell 800 menus per week via the take-away sale he carries out at his restaurant in Boutervilliers, but also on the markets, in artisan butcheries in the south of Essonne and some supermarkets such as Leclerc d'Étampes which puts him at layout a stand.
But this is in no way comparable to what he does in normal times, and it also required investments (purchase of trays, rental of a refrigerated truck, rental of places in the markets, etc.).
Delivery to a retirement home
"I am afraid that we cannot reopen on January 20 as indicated by Emmanuel Macron, fears the leader.
We are a lot of restaurateurs who think that there is a risk of a 3rd wave after the end of the year holidays.
Until we are not authorized to resume service until mid-February… ”
As if he wasn't busy enough, Aymeric Dreux has just accepted a new project: delivering meals to the 70 residents of the Clairefontaine retirement home.
“Franck Marlin (
Editor's note: the mayor LR of Etampes
) offered me this to offer a little comfort to seniors, announces the chef.
I will deliver every Friday, and I start this December 4th.
We will end in style with the last one which falls on the 25th. We will offer them a beautiful Christmas meal.
The kitchen is used for that, to put a little balm in the heart.
"
For Jean Terlon chef at Longjumeau, catering is "sacrificed"
The chef of Saint-Pierre, a Longjumeau restaurant focused on Southwestern gastronomy, is also a member of the Union des Métiers et des Industries de l'Hôtellerie (Umih).
He estimates that 30% of Ile-de-France restaurateurs could go out of business because of this second confinement.
“We are even more vulnerable than in March…
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And this is even more true in Ile-de-France and in regions where a curfew has been in place for a few weeks ", Jean Terlon explained again in our columns a few weeks ago." We are constantly in the process of to fight to make our situation in Bercy understood (Editor's note: the Ministry of the Economy), confides Jean Terlon.
We have just obtained a bonus for taking charge of paid vacation.
They did not anticipate the fact that even in partial unemployment, our employees earn time off.
But we don't have the cash to do it.
"
Like Aymeric Dreux, he welcomes partial unemployment, but like him he criticizes the PGE (loan guaranteed by the State).
"We must stop saying that it is an aid, it is a loan whose first installments are to be repaid at the moment, while we are not receiving customers, insists Jean Terlon.
Since March, restaurateurs have not paid each other a salary.
At Saint-Pierre, I have lost 130,000 euros in turnover since March.
Once I have paid all of my charges, I have nothing left.
Since the state imposes an administrative closure on us, it only has to compensate us.
Especially since this decision is not based on any scientific study.
We sacrifice restoration on the altar of the health crisis.
"
