With this new confinement and the obligation to close their establishments, many restaurateurs in the district of Montluçon are once again turning to take-out sales to keep some activity.
“It maintains the head and it occupies the hands”, summarizes Nicolas Courseyre, owner of the fish restaurant Le Carrelet in Montluçon.
For Julien Chabozy, chef of the Côté Toqués restaurant in Néris-les-Bains, the important thing is also to be able to keep his business and especially his employees.
Benefit from the experience of the first containment
Nicolas Courseyre has reinstated the take-away sale of seafood platters or oysters to which he added cod on Friday. Photo Florian Salesse
The various professionals of the borough try to use their experience of the first confinement. Nicolas Courseyre thus offers its customers platters of oysters and seafood, but also cod every Friday.
Cod on Friday was a tradition that we had established in the restaurant and I didn’t want to lose it for the customers, it’s an easy dish to reheat
Nicolas Courseyre (Chef of the restaurant Le Carrelet)
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Same idea at Delphine Diebold, from Saint-Augustin in Domérat who cooks potato pâté every Friday. “That way people know it. However, it is complicated to manage our supply of products because we never know how many requests we will have. We are in a more rural area than Montluçon with an older population, we have more requests on weekends ”
Still not knowing when they will reopen, restaurants in Montluçon are starting to sell delivery or take out
Loyal customers at the rendezvous
In this complicated period, professionals are anxious to maintain the link with their customers. Frédéric Cholin, of the restaurant le circuit in Montluçon, notes, like other restaurateurs, that the regulars are also present.
During the first confinement I had requests for take-out meals as soon as the artisans who are the bulk of my clientele were able to rework. I only did take out for a month and a half. This time, they called me on Thursday, October 29 to find out if I was going to do it again.
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As the hotels are still open but their restaurants closed, Frédéric Cholin also provides room service dishes for a hotel in downtown Montlucon, near his restaurant.
First confinement as chef for Arnaud Paulus, of the Table de Reugny
Arnaud Paulus (on the left) took over from Jean-Luc Sanguillon at the Table de Reugny in September. Photo Cécile Champagnat
Arnaud Paulus took over La Table de Reugny, in the commune of the same name since September. The cook who is experiencing his first confinement has also made the choice of take-out on the advice of Pascale Sanguillon, the wife of former chef Jean-Luc Sanguillon, who supports him in his beginnings.
She experienced the first confinement and she told me that it could work in Reugny. It is true that it started well during the first weekend. People played the game. We had prepared beforehand even if we expected more of a curfew than confinement and to have to make take-out in the evening.
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The thirty-something recognizes that take-out is changing habits. “When you put the menus online, you never know if there will be a lot of demand or not. It’s complicated to keep a card ”. What the chef especially regrets is the contact with his customers.
An activity that pays the bills
At Saint-Augustin in Domérat, Delphine Diebold cooks and Sébastien, her husband, delivers.
Everyone recognizes that this activity does not compensate for the losses linked to the closure of their establishments and allows them to build up cash.
We just pay the bills with what we earn. We’re walking on eggshells. We don’t know how long we’ll last
Delphine Diebold (chief of Saint Augustine in Domérat)
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The restaurateur highlights that the profession was not able to work during the months of April and May which are important for it, especially around Easter time.
How the restaurants of Montluçon (Allier) managed their food stock before containment
An extension of the dreaded confinement
With most restaurateurs fearing that the confinement will be extended into December, they are all thinking about dishes and menus to offer to take away for the holidays.
“I hope that at that time people will think of small traders for their seafood platters or their dishes”, wishes Nicolas Courseyre.
Julien and Marie Chabozy will focus on the take-out, charcuterie and cellar business for the end of the year. Photo Cécile Champagnat
Julien Chabozy, meanwhile, already knows that he will not reopen in December because of the cost that reopenings and closings have each time.
I don’t think we’ll be deconfined on December 1st. In addition we have a small room and if one of our clients is in contact somewhere else, we will have to close. At each closure, we lose a lot of food.
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The restaurant currently prefers to focus on take-out, catering and its delicatessen business. “We are going to offer baskets, comforting dishes, holiday dishes as well as a slightly more luxurious product offer for the holidays”, suggests the chef of Néris.
Florence Farina
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