Par Arthur Sabatier
Published on
“Beliefs above all,” said Yohann, manager of the Black Stone pub in Marseille, a Marseille newsjust before kick-off for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The establishment had made a “strong decision” by choosing not to broadcast any matches of this “controversial World Cup”.
Despite heavy losses, Yohann held out to the bitter end. For him, “It was a question of credibility”that “it will pay off in the customer’s imagination in the long run”.
“The losses could have been 80%, but we managed to limit them to 50%”
During France matches, the bar was deserted. But, according to the restaurateur, “we anticipated well, which made it possible to limit losses”.
For example, the Black Stone arranged a “Funny Busy” for the final. Different artists took turns playing music with a political, ecological or social meaning.
If during the match the bar was empty, at the end of the match the fans disappointed by the defeat of the French were able to find some solace in the music. According to Yohann, the evening was still a success. “The losses could have been 80%, but we managed to limit them to 50%,” he explains.
“As a company, we can have a role to play”
But according to him, this is without taking into account the interest in the image of the bar. “It was really important to stick it out to the end to stay in line with our values,” he explains. For several years, Pietra Nera has been working to reduce its impact on the environment.
All their waste is recycled, they sign a green energy contract, the products are local and the bar is involved in various solidarity actions. So Yohann could not turn a blind eye to the much publicized ecological and social issues raised by the World Cup in Qatar.
While he admits it was hard to see his bar deserted during Blues games, “he regrets nothing.” By specifying ithe doesn’t want to teach to other restaurateurs he says that “as a company we may have a role to play”.
“Strengthen the establishment”
However, not everyone understood the decision. Yohann has received a lot of criticism, especially on social networks.
“When you do little things like this, there are always people telling you that you’re not going to change the world.”
However, the bartender said he was surprised by the messages of encouragement and kindness he received from his regular customers. “At the level of our team and at the level of the project we want to carry out, it strengthens the establishment”, he concludes.
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