Place Anne-Grommerch, in Thionville, is the excitement this Friday morning. From a truck, two men unload tables and umbrellas while small groups of customers sip a take-out coffee, exchanging a few words. A group is in the middle of a meeting. The owners of different establishments in the square interact with the city services. “So I put four rows?” One asks. “Rue Georges-Ditsch will be closed like last year?” », Launches another. In front of them, Laurent Cavalieri, deputy director general of the services in charge of the population, security and regulation pole, answers the questions. “The goal is for everyone to reopen under the best possible conditions,” he explains. There is a gauge at 50% of the tables with a spacing of 2 meters, the rest is good understanding. “
For Francis and Marie Decker, from the Moselle café, “it’s a first step. We are very happy to see our customers again, even if it is at a reduced level. On the other hand, what is a bit stressful is the euphoria of the moment which risks complicating management a little. Just opposite, at Latitude 49, manager Thomas Miniconi is pragmatic. “We will say that it is a therapeutic half-time. We will get back to it after 7 months and play the game of instructions, especially since the municipality also seems to be playing the game (as a reminder, an exemption from terrace rights was pronounced a few days ago, Editor’s note). Customers are impatient. “
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“We will be ready”
A little further on, the Belfry applies the final touches of its transformation. “May 19 will kick off the summer race. We’ve been in the works for some time, and despite everything, everything is rushing a bit. For example, we have relaunched the refrigerators and one of them has broken down, ”explains the manager, Jean-Jacques Wallerich. “We are entitled to a 50% gauge but as we can spread out, it allows us to win a few tables. The most complicated will remain the management of groups. In June, there will be a little welcome inside, this will help relieve us a little. There, time will not make things easier. But we’ll be ready. ”
As for the pleasures of the table, just as convivial, at Léon de Bruxelles, a new terrace is part of the game. “With the restrictions, we were allowed to sit in a few parking spaces. We put it together in two days, says director Séverin Volles. We act as if we opened normally, especially as we are launching a new concept at Leon’s level. It will therefore be necessary for customers to be greeted correctly while discovering the new card. “
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Others prefer to wait until June
While many bar and restaurant managers are eager to have their terraces and welcome their customers, others have made another choice. “Initially, we decided to open on May 19, like everyone else, rewinds Christophe Cantarelli, manager of Scarpetta, in Thionville. But with the announcement of the reduction of terraces, profitability will not be good enough for us. “
Indeed, the restaurant terrace, wedged between a road, a garage exit and a building entrance seems to offer relatively few possibilities for extension. “We could only have thirteen place settings at the same time. It’s not enough. In addition, the weather is unlikely to encourage people to come. So, we decided to switch to June 9, when it will be possible to welcome customers inside. ”
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