Announced by Emmanuel Macron in a television address on April 13, 2020, then clarified by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on May 7, deconfinement will not allow to return in all shops, overnight.
The Head of State notably specified that the restaurants and cafes would remain closed until further notice.
These establishments were among the first to have to close their doors on Saturday March 14 at midnight. Since then, they have lived in the unknown, waiting to be able to welcome customers quickly. “We would like it to reopen in June, that people come to see us after,” says Patricia, who runs the Pub Saint-Denis, Brionne ((Eure), with his companion, Dominique.
Up to the day, the establishment on rue Saint-Denis celebrated its six months of opening, with a reggae concert. Shortly after midnight, we had to say goodbye to everyone.
We were disappointed not to be able to reopen the next day. The concerts were starting to restart.
Since then, the couple thinks about the situation every day, “especially my friend, it’s their salary that is at stake. It’s scary, we don’t have much cash when we start.” Cautious, Dominique and Patricia had not touched what they had won. “We weren’t investing, we were starting to get a bit ahead of the bank account. »Nest egg which obviously melted over the weeks.
The Brionnais await payment of state aid of € 1,500, which will allow them to last a few weeks. “It shouldn’t go further than June, we couldn’t get up.” June 15 would be a good date, it would be catchable, “hopes Patricia. In the summer, the couple will double up.
We had to leave a bit if it hadn’t been there. This is no longer possible. We will have to work twice as much, but we are motivated!
Read also: Brionne. A couple revives the Saint-Denis pub
A loan for cash
AT Bernay, while waiting to see his activity restart, Stéphane Godard is redecorating the Golden Lion Hotel, which he runs with his wife, Sophie. He is on partial unemployment, she has no right to it and is without income. Their two employees are one in partial activity, the other in stop to look after her children.
Even if the hotels are not among the establishments that have been forced to close, the couple have not welcomed travelers or workers for weeks, for lack of customers, at a pivotal time for them. “This situation is worrying. We are a seasonal establishment, our big months go from May to August. However, the local demonstrations are canceled, the weddings too, and the employees or managers of local businesses with whom we work do not come, or go back and forth during the day, “noted the hotelier.
Read also: Foreign tourists: what they do in the Bernay region
When they had just finished paying for their establishment, the couple had to resort to borrowing from the BPI [l’Etat garantit les prêts auprès de la Banque publique d’investissement, N.D.L.R.], to cover cash, current expenses. To his chagrin. “What is morally hard is to be forced to borrow when you have a healthy business,” says Stéphane Godard.
The recovery looks sluggish, fears the manager. “When it starts again, it will be limp. Bernay is not a summer vacation destination. Will the loan that we are going to make be enough to absorb everything? Our business is healthy, but the guy who already had his head underwater, he’s never going to get over it. Stéphane Godard almost gave up on 2020, already looking to next season. According to him, his dry losses will be around 100,000 € .10
“Not the worst off”
Jean-Marie Roux also talks about the White Year. “The season is over, I think. Everyone is going to try to get out of it as well as possible, “says the man who heads the guest rooms and the restaurant Les Terrasses de Broglie. “For the hotel industry, it’s dead. From June to September, 90% of our customers are foreign, and the vast majority eat on the spot. If everything is back in place, we hope that a French clientele will come. “
The entrepreneur was about to inaugurate a new address, Carpe Diem (ex-L’Agriculture), rue du Général de Gaulle in Bernay, when the closure of cafes and restaurants was imposed. The setback made it possible to complete the work without stress. “I was a little demoralized the first ten days, the time to put the different tools in place, state aid, etc. “Recalls Jean-Marie Roux.
Despite the shortfall in his business, the restaurant owner does not want to fall into pessimism. “When it starts again, we will not be the worst off. Apparently, people think a lot about having a drink on the terrace as soon as the deconfinement, ”remarks Jean-Marie Roux. While he has not yet opened the Carpe Diem, the latter claims to have received a number of messages from customers, saying that they would be there for the opening of the establishment. “Restaurants need to be able to open, even with less cutlery. Otherwise, it will be a disaster in the profession, “warns the boss.
Read also: Brasserie in Bernay. Agriculture becomes Carpe Diem
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