2023-11-06 14:10:41
Village inns are struggling to cope with rising costs and are increasingly having to close their doors. The trend is particularly worrying in the canton of Vaud.
Not a week goes by without a small village inn having to cease its activity for financial reasons. Large tables are also affected. Latest case to date, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Pont de Brent, above Montreux (VD). Bankrupt, it must close its doors immediately (see box).
The situation has never been rosy for many establishments, large or small. But Covid, then the war in Ukraine and finally inflation happened there.
Like the Café de la Croix-Blanche, in Poliez-Pittet, near Echallens (VD), which will permanently close its doors on December 21. A heartbreak for the owners Édith and Marc, who have worked alone for almost 30 years in the dining room and in the kitchen. But the Covid crisis and the inflation of recent months have dealt the final blow to the establishment’s finances.
Painful electricity bill and fewer customers
“There were surprises, like Romande Energie which increased its prices by 40%. If we did the same thing, it just wouldn’t be possible to have customers who could afford these prices,” notes Edith in La Matinale.
In recent years, the couple has also noticed a continuous decline in attendance at their bistro in Poliez-Pittet. Consumption habits are no longer the same.
Call for political support
Gilles Meystre, president of Gastrovaud, the Association of Catering Professionals, does not hide his concern: “it is a part of our culture which risks disappearing. So I hope we will hold on. It depends on us, it depends on them, but it also depends on the politicians in particular who must be patient, who must be helpful because we also do work which is important, we create social bonds.”
Among the political measures requested, there is particular question of the end of the reimbursement of hardship cases, this aid granted during the Covid pandemic.
>> Read about it: Aid granted during Covid is now creating a boomerang effect
But Gilles Meystre also calls on restaurateurs to innovate. “Some achieve this by reducing their menu, by reducing their offering so as to have smaller stocks to manage. Others reduce their working and opening hours so as to have fewer staff to support. doesn’t have a single solution, but it’s about being flexible and testing.”
Radio subject: Robin Baudraz
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