Arriving via the Allée Charles Pasqua, nothing seems to have changed. In the sun, a few customers are seated on the terrace of the IT restaurant at the Gare du Sud in Nice. The closure of the gourmet hall, inaugurated in 2019, does not concern this “independent” establishment, which has its own access on the cinema side. The atmosphere is quite different on the other side of the building.
For almost three years, this place supposed to revitalize the neighborhood has never fulfilled its mission. Too high rents, confinements, strike then judicial liquidation and debt… And to finish this dramatic series, the town hall announced Friday the administrative closure of the place for “hygiene reasons”.
“Dangerous bacteria” found in catering areas
It was Jo Plent who sounded the alarm by sending videos of the state of the common areas. The boss of Kosmopolite, one of the last five restaurants still open, was worried about cleanliness. “We don’t just pay rent of 9,000 euros for an 18 m2 room. In the contract, the operator [Urban Renaissance] has to do the cleaning, he explains. These services were not performed. Beyond my responsibility if something happens to a client, I was above all afraid for their health. »
In the health control analysis reports carried out in mid-March, coliforms, “very dangerous bacteria”, of faecal origin, summarizes the manager, were found in the catering areas but also on the changing tables of the first floor. stage.
“The atmosphere is very weird”
It is now impossible for the public to enter the Gare du Sud before “complete cleaning and disinfection has been carried out”, specifies the city. And the security guard sees to it. All access is locked, only employees can enter.
From the window of the box which overlooks the outside, Manu, the manager of Dad’s Burgers despairs. “The atmosphere is very weird. It’s horrible. We don’t even have a delivery. It’s desert. We don’t know where we are going. They’re supposed to clean up but I haven’t seen anyone yet. It’s really a shame because it’s due to their mismanagement. For restaurants, it worked great! »
A strategy “to get the last restaurateurs to leave”
With Kosmopolite, Ramen ta famine, Madanice and Pitaya, they recall that they are “open for take-out and deliveries” and above all, that they “have nothing to do with all that”. “We are clean. But when you hear that it’s closed for hygiene, it doesn’t make you want to, adds the manager. This project is a waste. We believed in it, we gave ourselves the means. Results, we risk our necks now if we find ourselves without a place of exploitation and with our credits on our backs”.
According to Jo Plent, Urban Renaissance “made it on purpose” to “get rid of” the last “resistant restaurateurs”. He adds: “They are constantly trying to turn the situation around, from act of bad faith to act of bad faith. »
If the manager of Kosmopolite reacts in this way, it is because several of the restaurants still present are in dispute with Urban Renaissance. The operator criticizes them for not paying the rent while the restaurateurs denounce the non-respect of contractual commitments. A trial, which was due to take place on Monday, has been postponed until May 30. The town hall still hopes that Urban Renaissance, which has not responded to the latest requests from 20 Minutesgives way.