La Friche Gourmande has the wind in its sails. The food court of the metropolis of Lille (North) is a trendy and festive place, which opened its doors in Marcq-en-Barœul on June 30, 2020.
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It quickly became the unmissable spot of the Lille metropolis (North). After two years at the Fives Cail site, the Gourmet Wasteland invested the former Marcq-en-Barœul wire rope depot on June 30, 2020. The place is almost full every evening. Lille news wanted to know who was at the helm of this super popular food court in Lille. The editorial staff spoke with the managers
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A concept imported from abroad
Surprisingly, it all started to Rouen (Seine-Maritime). It is by doing their business studies that Guillaume Souloumiac and Philippe Blanchot meet. Now aged 27 and 26 respectively, they are at the head of the Friche Gourmande, a business that is going rather (very) well.
The project started to emerge four years ago. Guillaume says: “While traveling in Mexico and Singapore in particular, we saw models of food courts. But with plenty of restaurants and not really bars or events ”. In France, the concept is little known. The two friends, who have already worked their way through the restaurant business, therefore have the ambition to create their own establishment in France, but not just anywhere.
We wanted to find a place with a natural character, an old wasteland or an old factory.
For two summers, they move to Fives Cail. The place is ephemeral while waiting for the resumption of work. Barely open, the Friche is already talking about it and becomes the unmissable meeting place for a drink, a bite to eat or participate in frenzied petanque competitions.
Open all year
But this year, the food court has migrated to Marcq-en-Barœul and signed a three-year lease. “Now we are no longer seasonal, we will be able to stay there all year round”, slips Philippe, ex-employee of the Comptoir Volant. The redeveloped factory is half covered, unlike the old site which was not sheltered, and therefore closed in the event of rain. This implies that the Friche Gourmande will be also open in winter. Even if they still have a little time to think about it, Guillaume and Philippe are thinking about making some adjustments and preparing the place as well as possible for the winter season, in a “Christmas market” type format.
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On site, the duo are in the starting blocks and do a little bit of everything: bar service, cleaning, accounting, events, communication… No time to be idle. In addition to food trucks, a dozen employees help them run the machine.
A clearance sale with Friche sauce
Several festive events are in the pipeline, including a clearance sale organized in early September. For the occasion, the car park located next to the site will be privatized and second-hand dealers will hold a few stands. Fans will be able to browse while savoring a good plaster of mussels and fries.
We will try to find the atmosphere and the same spirit as the Braderie.
Once the three years have passed in Marcq, Guillaume and Philippe will potentially move to other places with the same concept. ” We will continue. We have good leads, ”they conclude.
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Practical information :
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m.
90 rue Nationale, Marcq-en-Barœul
More information on the Facebook page of the Friche Gourmande
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