Will reopen, not reopen?
For six months, professionals in the hotel and catering industry have scrutinized the statements of the executive every week, in the hope of gathering some information on their fate.
Between fears, despondency and anger, restaurant owners are waiting to know when they will finally be able to welcome customers in the dining room again.
Read also: Restaurants, bars and nightclubs: the recovery plan offered by professionals
Latest episode to date, the President of the Republic declared on Monday that the terraces of establishments could reopen "
mid-May
". This first period would be followed by "a
few weeks
" of waiting to allow access to the rooms themselves. This device could also evolve according to the territories: "
we will undoubtedly set an incidence rate threshold"
, explained Emmanuel Macron, adding that it would not be possible to reopen restaurants at the end of May, at the beginning of June, "
in departments where it [the virus, editor's note] still circulates a lot
”.
The words of the President of the Republic make Franck Delvau sigh: “
it is exactly the same thing as what Jean Castex told us.
These are always assumptions, while we have been asking for specific dates from the start,
”annoys the boss of Umih in Île-de-France.
“
We continue to play the game of cat and mouse.
But when you are a business manager, closed since October 29, how do you organize yourself to reopen your bar, your restaurant, with that?
», Launches the representative.
Read also: Will restaurants and bars be able to reopen their terraces in mid-May?
In addition, the head of state is "
already behind
" on the schedule he had set, says Franck Delvau. “
We are told that he will speak in the days to come. The situation is difficult, but either we are told that we will not reopen before June, or we are provided with a date: we need at least 15 days to prepare,
”or even three weeks, he says. “
We have such a vague speech on April 26, we cannot continue like that, it's maddening. The Prime Minister had left us in the dark, Thursday, today we are still there,
”sighs the president of the Umih-IDF.
The representative is not the only one to worry about the caution displayed by the executive on the date of resumption of activity. "
We are no longer fooled by the dates that are announced today,
" denounces the secretary general of the Union of Independents (SDI), Marc Sanchez. "
There is a big problem of the government's credibility on these subjects and a real fed up
" on the ground, indicates the representative. Listening to the Prime Minister on Thursday, "
we could not be convinced that activities would reopen on May 15,
" said Marc Sanchez.
"
We are worried because we have gone from the affirmative of the President of the Republic to the conditional of the Prime Minister
", added to AFP the boss of the employers' union of independent hotel and restaurant workers, the GNI, at the end of the day. last week, following the press conference of Jean Castex.
"
This suggests that we are not sure to open and that the opening could be delayed in a number of areas,
" added Didier Chenet, denouncing an "
unacceptable
"
situation
.
It must be said that the Prime Minister was particularly cautious on this subject, refusing to commit to a timetable or a list of activities that could resume first.
The hope of an imminent visibility
The idea of a territorialized reopening does not reassure professionals either. Given the evolution of the health situation, "
Paris and the Île-de-France region will not be in the first territories to reopen
", advances Franck Delvau, who recalls that a third of the 18,000 restaurants, bars and cafes in Paris do not have a terrace and therefore cannot benefit from the first phase of reopening. Discussions are also underway with the town hall on this file, in order to support the owners of establishments.
Same story on the side of the union of independents. A territorialized reopening is described as a "
new blow
" by Marc Sanchez, who also underlines "
the uncertainty
" which surrounds this subject. Everything will depend on the methods of recovery: “
if it is a territorialization which is accompanied by a normal opening, it can be integrated [...]. But for those which remain closed, it will take the sustainability of the aid
”and that these arrive quickly in the treasury of the main interested parties, comments the representative.
The restaurateurs therefore hope to be able to gain visibility as quickly as possible to prepare for the recovery. And, if they cannot reopen or must do so with restrictions, professionals hope they can count on state aid to make up for the shortfall. The reopening of a few tables on the terrace would not be enough to make them recoup their costs, they argue.
The government promises to answer questions from the sector soon. Emmanuel Macron should speak
"soon"
, said spokesman Gabriel Attal on Monday. "
The President of the Republic who will speak very soon, probably next week, will give us the starting
signal
," said
Roselyne Bachelot on Friday. In the meantime, restaurateurs must take their troubles patiently and hold on a little longer.