4:42 p.m.
, April 25, 2020
Philippe Etchebest, head of the Fourth Wall in Bordeaux and juror of the Top Chef show, participated in the meeting of restaurateurs with Emmanuel Macron last Friday. The President of the Republic gave a course, announcing a new meeting at the end of May to determine a date for the reopening of the establishments. The star chef is fighting for the government to respond to the operating losses and make proposals on the conditions for the reopening. “We are not asking for a blank check,” says the cook.
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Are you a little reassured, after the meeting you attended on Friday, with President Emmanuel Macron?
I was called a pessimist because I said you have to be realistic and tell the truth, even if it hurts, and then know how to get out of it: we, the restaurateurs, are living a national nightmare and massive and there it is no longer television.
Were insurance representatives present at this meeting?
No, but the President is well aware of the need to respond to operating losses by setting up dedicated funds. We are making a virtuous proposal for insurance to be the ‘collectors’ and redistributor of the financial aid necessary to bear operating losses, from the crêperie to the 3-star restaurant, up to 14 billion euros. These funds will be reimbursed by our premium premiums over 10 or 20 years which, in fine, will not cost the state anything: we are not asking for a blank check! Without this, we will not be able to resume our activity when we will need serenity and confidence to be at the rendezvous of the reopening.
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Our restaurants cannot become nursing homes
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Precisely, do you have any details on the conditions of this reopening?
Regarding the recovery in June, Emmanuel Macron did not give us a specific date, preferring to be careful and ensure the safe opening of a new wave of epidemic, which would be absolutely terrible. On this subject, we are working * with ministers Bruno Le Maire, Gérald Darmanin, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and with Sébastien Bazin who was appointed by Emmanuel Macron to put in place the health security measures that we will have to apply at the reopening. We already know how to respect hygiene measures but not at a hospital level! Our restaurants cannot become nursing homes …
Read also – Coronavirus: the demands of restaurateurs and hoteliers to withstand the shock
What do you think of restaurateurs who decide to open for delivery and take-out?
We are all eager to resume our activity. However take-away is a real job, it means that dishes must be prepared in accordance with health rules compatible with the prevention of Covid-19. Many are doing it because they think they have no other choice to survive. However, we do not know exactly whether restaurants which will reopen in this way will benefit from the same aid as those which will remain closed. Please note that the calculation of the operating loss will not be the same, nor the calculation of partial unemployment. Personally I consider that my establishment, the Fourth Wall, is not suitable for take-out, for the moment.
What are you waiting for now?
If Emmanuel Macron manages to set up the distribution of aid, he will be the first the first president to have saved thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs. The 229,000 hotel and restaurant businesses represent two million direct and indirect jobs, and 84 billion euros in turnover. We are the red blood cells of the economy, with nearly 100,000 jobs available every year. Let us remain standing so that France remains the first tourist destination in the world.
* Philippe Etchebest and his wife work with a group of professionals representing the UMIH, the Restoensemble collective, the CMCB group, the CCI of Gironde and the Bistro Régent chain.
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