While some are overjoyed to be open for business once again, others are worried about the future and the problems experienced since the reopening.
For Hubert Bonnier at Place d'Armes, the most glaring issue is the absence of international business customers who generally fill his hotel and restaurants, especially at lunchtime. "There are days when we have 90 customers, and then there are those when we only have 15. [...] It's difficult to predict," he tells RTL. "During the summer we work with tourists, and we don't know if they will come [this summer]." Bonnier adds that the start of the new school year in September will be revealing: "business customers may - or may not - return."
Restaurants and bars in the city centre are experiencing a slight revival of activities and await the start of sales this Friday with great anticipation. For restaurants in the financial hubs of the city, such as Kirchberg, the situation is a largely different one. Rémy Manso, who heads seven restaurants in Kirchberg, tells RTL that "at noon, we only fill 30% of our restaurants. We managed to climb up to 60% but it remains very quiet."
Remote working is partly to blame in Manso's eyes, as many business customers are working from home while offices and, by extension, restaurants remain empty. "I understand that people prefer not to drive [to work] if they are allowed to do that but the authorities do not take into account the impact on our sector, and therefore also on employment."
According to Manso, it's not only lunches between colleagues but also after-work drinks and group celebrations that are still missing. "Groups, whether for birthdays or corporate parties, represent 20% of our usual turnover," he lamented. One quarter of his 250 employees are currently on short-working schemes.
Founder and CEO of Concept + Partners, Christophe Diederich, echoes Manso's tale of woe. "A significant part of our customers are still missing, mainly in the restaurants in the capital," he tells RTL. His restaurants have recorded decline of more than 50% of turnover compared to the previous year. 40% of the 170 employees are on short-time working schemes or on leave.
"Remote working accentuates the mutations in our sector," stresses Gabriel Boisante, the head of several venues in the city centre and in the Gare neighbourhood. "We are realising that restaurants are not only places where you eat; they are places of life and socialising and, as such, they were missed by our customers who are happy to come back and see each other," he explains.
Boisante does, however, not minimise the difficulties that bars and restaurants are facing during this period. "Depending on the neighbourhood, visibility, exposure, the presence of a terrace, the opportunities are different and those who are dependent on economic activity suffer."
Diederich similarly explains that the location of a restaurant is now more important than ever. "In other cities such as Dudelange, Differdange, or Mersch, customers come more often and more regularly to support us."
According to Boisante, restaurants and bars are also heavily impacted by the mandatory closing time at midnight. "Three hours on Fridays, three hours of Saturdays [...], this leads to a significant shortfall - especially since customers tend to consume a lot during these times," he laments.
Boisante nevertheless understands and accepts this rule: "we need to be responsible and exemplary because a second wave would really be a catastrophe."
Many restaurants and bar owners are forced to proceed with a wait-and-see attitude. According to Diederich, "we can only wait for September, hope that there is no second wave, and count on the newfound confidence of our customers."
