Par
Nicolas Gosselin
Published on Nov 7, 2024 at 6:32 a.m.
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It was initially bad news but eventually turned into good news.
Following a neighborhood conflictthe bosses of Skull Mirror had to stop the catering part, in the first quarter of 2023, to concentrate solely on the bar part and since then, their establishment has never been so profitable.
Jean-Luc Olivier, who has been running the bar with his wife Patricia since 2017, remembers 2022 ending with a deficit of more than 50,000 euros. “However, we are not lazy. We are open 7 days a week, from morning to evening, insists the boss. We couldn’t take it anymore, we were hesitant to sell. The cup was full. »
“The numbers have exploded”
But at the time, the couple knew that they had “a nice spot” so they closed for several weeks to transform their brasserie – which was called Le Miroir – into a bar. with 16 beers on tapa nice cocktail menu et of the happy hours at low prices.
A year and a half later, the bosses of Skull Mirror have no regrets. On the contrary. “We earn a better living and we are less tired. The figures have exploded,” smiles Jean-Luc, who however does not want to go into detail.
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“Frankly, it was not planned, it happened by force of circumstances but now, for nothing in the world we would not go back,” assures the owner of this establishment located on the quays of Bordeaux.
A neighborhood problem due to kitchen odors
The latter is however in proceedings with the owner of part of the walls. In fact, the neighborhood conflict started because of a problem with the sealing of the exhaust duct of the kitchen hood. Smells drifted into the apartment above, where an office of a real estate development company was located.
The Olivier couple therefore brought in a specialized company to obtain a quote and sent it to the owner, so that she could validate the amount of the work. Except that she refused to cover them as the bill looked relatively high. “As tenants, it’s not up to us to pay,” grumbles the owner of the Skull Mirror.
In the end, the bar managers are in no hurry to be able to reuse their kitchen but they are thinking about the next step: “If we sell our business, we want to be able to sell it as a bar-restaurant as we had. bought. »
Over or almost, personnel problems
Because of the restoration, they are a little disgusted by it. With around twenty employees to manage to run the store, the Olivier couple experienced “personnel problems” between recruitment difficulties et absenteeism.
Jean-Luc and Patricia Olivier, alongside the symbolic skulls of their bar, synonymous with good luck in the community of Harley-Davidson fans of which they are a part. (©Actu Bordeaux / Nicolas Gosselin)
“We had a Mexican army, it was super restrictive. People don’t realize, they can be ungrateful,” points out this former regional director in a lifting company, who refers to certain “bullshit comments” left by customers.
Despite a gigantic terrace, the Skull Mirror now operates with 11 people without catering; i.e. a workforce divided by two. However, turnover has barely changed.
Restaurants “eaten by the aperitif-beer board model”
“In Bordeaux, restaurants are losing ground due to a whole host of difficulties. They are eaten little by little by the new aperitif-beer board model until 2 a.m. It’s a model that works and there is no problem with qualified staff, the service is done at the bar. You just need to know how to serve a beer and cash in,” underlines Laurent Tournier, vice-president of Umih 33, the hotel and catering union.
The latter does not throw stones at Jean-Luc Olivier: “He is the happiest of men, he lives much better and has multiplied its margin by three. But the old restaurateur that I am is doubtful about the future of my profession. If we continue to constrain our professions like this, they risk disappearing… Catering in France is a tradition. »
“You really have to be passionate,” reacts Jean-Luc Olivier. I take my hat off to those who manage to make a living cooking at home because it’s very complicated! » At Skull Miroir, food is now limited to a board of cold cuts or Iberian cheeses. To the delight of his bosses.
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Hours: open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., every day.
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