Sarah Zins crosses her fingers. For now, the owner of the Blue Flamingo, a floating restaurant opened in December in Strasbourg and closed since March 15, can still ensure its bills: “We were lucky to have a very good start, so we had cash on hand. With partial unemployment, the deferral of charges Urssaf and the bank which accepted the deferral of the loan, our situation is not as catastrophic as for others, like the restaurant where a friend works, who was already on the wire [avant le confinement] and who knows it’s probably going to close. ”
Even if the establishment is closed, as its kitchen does not lend itself easily to delivery, the restaurant owner has to pay for seven of the 42 weekly hours usually worked by four of her six employees, with partial unemployment covering only 35 hours. “It shouldn’t last too long, she warns. Beyond three months, it’s going to be very complicated. ” The concern is all the greater since it is now accepted that cafes and restaurants will not reopen on May 11.
Call for a state of natural health disaster
Today, only 5% of cafes and restaurants are open (for delivery or take-out), achieving 10% of 2019 turnover, according to the president of the Union of Industry Trades hotelier, Roland Héguy, quoted Friday in the Parisian. In addition to restaurants, hotels and cafes, the impact of containment is felt more widely in the beverage market. Home consumption of beer, for example, has increased but not enough to compensate for the closure of drinking establishments and the cancellation of summer festivals, said Wednesday. latribune.fr.
Several players in the restaurant sector have turned to the government, such as restaurateur Stéphane Jégo (l’Ami Jean, in Paris), who has launched a petition for insurance to compensate bistros. “The only way out of this economic crisis, which promises to be fatal for many of us: to push the government to declare a state of natural health disaster so that insurance can compensate us”, he wrote in the text which collected more than 130,500 signatures. “I don’t know of any restaurateur who has managed to do anything with their confidence, confirms Sarah Zins. The contracts do not cover cases of force majeure such as wars and pandemics. If the state doesn’t impose anything on them, it won’t budge. ”
In this period of uncertainty, several initiatives have been launched to support bistros, such as J’aime mon bistrot and Bars solidaires. On these platforms, consumers are invited to support their favorite establishments by purchasing a credit note to use when they reopen, the amount of which is already paid to the boss to help him ensure his bills. “We said to ourselves that we had to support our customers and support the industry, explains Thibaut Boidin, deputy managing director of France Boissons, which supplies a quarter of the region’s coffee shops and participated in the editing of J’aime mon bistrot. The philosophy is to find a solution that is immediately useful and also useful over time. “Content has been made available to establishments to help them with their HR or financial management questions, and the second pillar of the action is this solidarity fund.”
“For the customer, it’s very interesting”
The two operations were launched by brewers, lemonade makers and distributors: the first is notably supported by Heineken, Lavazza, Coca Cola, Kronenbourg, Granini, or Segafredo, while the second comes from the French subsidiary of Ab Inbev, a group Belgian-Brazilian brewery, which notably owns Leffe, Stella Artois, Jupiler, Budweiser, Corona and even Quilmes. “Brewers are extremely involved in bars and restaurants, which represent a third of our sales, says Ab Inbev France general manager Jacques Lebel. We had feedback on cash flow problems. We want to help and smooth the impact [de la fermeture] for establishments, which are many small businesses. In the long term, if they do not find financial stability, the risk is of having a large bankruptcy rate, which is estimated at 30%. “
Their operation is roughly similar: any establishment can register on the site (customizable on J’aime mon bistrot, which also offers an optional delivery function) and consumers’ contributions are paid directly to it, without reserve at Bar Solidarity and with transaction costs (1.4% and 25 cents per transaction) at J’aime mon bistrot. Consumers will have a few months to spend their voucher, after reopening, and will not be reimbursed if their favorite bistro were to lower the curtain permanently.
In addition, the amount of the first 10,000 orders (a level already reached, two weeks after launch), will be increased by 50% by the partners of J’aime mon bistrot, when the establishments reopen. “For the client it’s very interesting, says Sarah Zins, registered on the platform and to whom 70 people have already paid for a voucher. Since we have an average restaurant ticket of 40 euros, quite a few people took vouchers at 50 euros. They can come and spend 75. It makes for a nice meal ”.
600,000 euros of pre-orders
On Solidarity Bar, where 250 bistros are registered and 500 orders have already been placed, it is Ab Inbev who will abound them, upon reopening, by offering the same amount as the voucher in beer equivalent (within the limit of 3 million euros in total value): “We help right away with consumers’ money, and as soon as they get back they will get free beer. When they have to replenish their stock, it’s useful not to have to take out cash ”, explains Jacques Lebel.
For the moment, 5,500 establishments have created their I love my bistro page, which totals 600,000 euros of pre-orders: “What is very nice is that it is not only establishments in large cities, there are everywhere in France. The final objective is that it be relayed as much as possible and that each French can find [sur la plateforme] his village bistro “, explains Thibaut Boidin. “We know that some will not reopen but we do not know what proportion, it depends on too much [variables]. There is in any case a very big desire to take back, to find these places of life and sharing “, he adds.
In Strasbourg, Sarah Zins is also waiting, supported by “The little words from people who have ordered vouchers, whether they are customers we already know or new. They left really nice messages of support. ” “It reminds us how cool it will be to restart, even if we have to start all over again, she adds. Everything that was put aside will have been spent. “
Kim Hullot-Guiot
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