restaurateurs forced to make concessions to attract staff

For a year, the “Vieux Moulin” restaurant in Lauterbourg (Bas-Rhin) has offered a non-stop service on weekends and some of its customers arrive in the middle of the afternoon for lunch. A way to go from five to four days of opening per week to offer more comfort to employees. “Every week, we have a bridge that we have never had in our entire life”, image Séverine Laghi, the restaurant manager. A measure that has not reduced turnover thanks to permanent kitchen activity on weekends due to German neighbors and more motivated staff.

The “Cheval Blanc”, a two-star establishment in Lembach (Bas-Rhin), has also adapted. At each service, tables remain empty, the restaurant had to sacrifice a third of its covers, for lack of servers. To attract staff, the managers have decided to close one Sunday a month. “It’s 10% of the turnover that we lose, but we try to gain somewhere else”, highlights Pascal Bastian, Michelin-starred chef at Cheval Blanc. Some employees were also able to negotiate their schedules. In France, between 200,000 and 300,000 jobs are to be filled in the catering industry.