French restaurateurs are solving a difficult problem – how to emerge from quarantine and not die
More than five hundred thousand workers in the restaurant industry, who had been on temporary unemployment for over two months straight, awaited the prime minister's announcements with impatience. However, their return to work must be accompanied by new hygiene and sanitary safety rules.
First, all workers must wear masks, gloves, and waiters must also wear transparent protective shields, creating an additional barrier "from customers." Tables in the hall must be placed at a minimum distance of one meter from each other, and movement inside the restaurant is divided into zones for "entry," "exit," and "circulation within the premises."
Customers entering the restaurant must also wear masks. It is advisable to keep them on even when communicating with staff, and only remove them while eating. However, now you can come to cafes, bars, and restaurants in a large group: the government has set the maximum number of people at one table at 10. In bars, it is forbidden to serve drinks at the counter, in close proximity to the bartender.
However, such rules do not apply throughout France. The government divided the country into two colors: the so-called "green zone" includes most of the country's departments, while the new "orange zone," where the number of coronavirus infections is higher than in the rest of France, includes Ile-de-France and the overseas territories of Mayotte and Guiana.
Bar and restaurant owners breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the prime minister's speech. Those in the "green zone" had no doubt that they would soon be given the opportunity to work, so many prepared in advance. First of all, these are cafes and restaurants located in resort areas on the seashore or ocean.
Establishment owners have long found a way to welcome the first customers in the new coronavirus era. Showing creativity and ingenuity, they converted their premises in just a few days to accommodate the maximum number of customers without violating sanitary measures.
Plants – artificial and real – were used, placed in such a way as to prevent customers from sitting too close to each other. In some bars and cafes, tables and chairs were even nailed to the floor.
French restaurateurs are also using international experience. In countries where quarantine was lifted much earlier, interesting solutions were found. For example, to separate customers from each other at a sanitary-safe distance, mannequins and cardboard toys are seated at tables, or plexiglass barriers are installed. In Amsterdam, on the banks of canals, transparent glass tents were set up, each containing a separate table.
Of course, all this requires additional investment. In addition, the profitability of cafes, bars, and restaurants will not be as usual, as the one-meter separation of tables significantly reduces the number of "seats." Depending on the size of the premises, French restaurants will lose from 30% to 50% of customers. Therefore, some customers fear that menu prices will rise significantly.
However, this does not stop them – immediately after the prime minister's speech on May 28, cafes and restaurants began receiving calls and reservations for tables weeks in advance. According to a public opinion poll conducted at the end of May, 84% of French people are ready to visit cafes and restaurants this summer, despite the coronavirus.
The hardest hit will be Parisian bars, which by their very nature are places for close communication in large groups. Maintaining "social distance" there is practically impossible. Therefore, many Parisian establishments will remain closed for another month – their owners decided to first see how their competitors and neighbors operate.
The measures announced for the second stage of lifting the quarantine will last at least three weeks. On June 22, the government will announce the third stage. But many may not survive until then: according to a publication by the professional industry magazine L’Hôtellerie et Restauration, about 25% of establishments will declare bankruptcy in the near future. That is more than 45,000 establishments out of the 186,000 existing in France.