Because of the coronavirus, the party ends at 2 a.m. in Dijon. Until then, five Dijon bars – the Pelpa Sauce, the good times, the Smart, the Beverly and the Jamaica rum circle (the Jam ‘) – had a waiver to close at 5 am. Faced with the rebound of the epidemic, Saturday, September 19, 2020, the Prefecture of Côte-d’Or issued an order to force them to close at 2 a.m., a measure that comes into force from Monday, September 21, 2020. A blow for these establishments, whose bosses evoke a possible loss of turnover of 50%.
The good solution ?
Gilbert Febvay, owner of the Beverly and representative of l’UMIH for the night world, fears negative consequences to this measure : “We will surely have many more young people in the street, who will not be checked. In our region, they are supervised, we police all evening”. It will put 10 of its 15 employees on partial unemployment and fears for the future, with a closure even earlier than 2 hours, as is imposed in some regions. In this case, “we can put the key under the door”, he fears.
“Whether we close at 2 or 5 or at any time, it will be complicated because we will not prevent young people from living” – Gilbert Febvay
Bars will have to adapt
There is no question of giving up, says Damien Le Net, manager of La Belle Epoque. This constraint to close earlier, “we expected”, he confesses. What solutions does he envisage to find his way there? “We open from Wednesday to Saturday, we will open on Tuesday as well. We hope that people will change their habits and go out earlier., he explains. We are going to change the model, we are going to offer themed evenings, but it may be complicated, it should not last several months “. As for Salsa Pelpa, the manager, Carlos Tiago, is focusing on the restaurant side. “We are going to put more strength and ideas into the restaurant business, develop this sector”, he says. The order is taken for at least a month.
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