Two months after having increased the remuneration by 30% on average for the 180 employees of the largest restaurant in France, the boss Louis Privat wanted to take stock. He sums it up in one word: “A success!”
This time no mea culpa and even a big satisfaction! “A success” all along the same line. It was January 18. Louis Privat, emblematic boss of the largest restaurant in France, Les Grands Buffets de Narbonne, made an explosive announcement: increase remuneration by 20 to 35% of its 180 employees in order to make the job more attractive and reward the most difficult jobs. He intended to face the recruitment difficulties of a profession where the turnover was a plague, especially in season. In exchange, he increased his single menu from €5 to €47.90, which gives access to all of French gastronomy…
More motivation
Two months later, it was time to analyze the first effects. And all the lights are green. First of all “for our employees. This announcement has given impetus to a new dynamic. Or when material: remuneration leads to immaterial: motivation”welcomes Louis Privat.
This is confirmed by Christophe Roussel, cook and CFDT staff representative of the establishment: “We welcomed this proposal with immense joy. It’s a great boost for our purchasing power. It also pushes us to give the best of ourselves for customer satisfaction”.
546 applications since January
Through this highly publicized operation, Louis Privat had to deal with an unprecedented influx of applications: 546 applications registered since the end of January, i.e. 206% more: “Unheard of, supports the boss. We recruited 11 employees in the service and 9 in the kitchen”. Chloé was hired three weeks ago, she was working abroad and returned to her land in Narbonne attracted “by salary, bonuses, profit-sharing but also by the reputation of the establishment. So much so that customers tell us about it regularly”.
12% more reservations
Because the increase in menu prices has not demotivated gourmets, quite the contrary. Robert Alonso comes from Lyon for the fourth time at Les Grands Buffets and he believes that “It’s a very good idea because we know it’s for a better quality of life for employees. Not only does it not bother me, but I also find it very fair, many would do well to be inspired by it”. On the restaurant’s Facebook account, the opinions are unanimous and the measure “perfectly understood”. Moreover, the 102,000 customers listed in the Grands Buffets file have been informed by email of the unprecedented approach “and we recorded a 12% increase in bookings”account Louis Privat.
Duplicate this model to the profession?
The only downside in the end is the criticism of the competition, which cannot show as much generosity. Criticisms that Louis Privat brushes aside: “Those who say that I disrupted the profession, will have to take this risk otherwise many will not be able to build their team. We must stop always wanting to pull everything down”.
And don’t think that the restaurant and its €47.90 menu want to change category on this day of the announcement of the new Michelin stars: “We remain a restaurant for the general public, we have not become elitists. Our model is an adventure, a moment that is not trivial”. The first restaurant in France with an all-you-can-eat buffet that has found a special place in the world of gastronomy. And that pays its loyal employees well.
A significant gain in purchasing power
At the Grands Buffets de Narbonne, it is believed that the purchasing power of its employees is the sinews of war. The staff had a choice: either a 15% increase in their salaries, or a 30% increase in their remuneration through a profit-sharing system. They mostly opted for the second solution. An increase which will therefore not be taken into account in the calculation of retirement or unemployment. But who offers a much higher remuneration than the average.
Here, the lowest income is €1,754 net, €500 above the minimum wage. The HCR salary grid (hotels, cafes and restaurants), revised upwards at the start of the year by 16%, is also very far from the remuneration of the restaurant in Narbonne: from 21 to 84% above the grid negotiated by trade unions. “We are not intended to be white knights but to send a message: here is what to do. I proposed to the CCI that this model become the workhorse of the profession”, explains Louis Privat. To be continued, then…