in Marseille, the starred restaurant L'Épuisette at the heart of a succession conflict

Le Figaro Marseille

The affair has all the makings of a Marseille basket of crabs: a Michelin-starred restaurant, known for its seafood products and nestled along the famous Vallon des Auffes, finds itself embroiled in a succession conflict before the end-of-year holidays. “There’s a month and a half left, we can’t sleep. What is certain is that we are not going to let this happen.”breathes Bernard Bonnet, owner of L’Épuisette, near the Figaro.

The operator, who inherited the premises of the establishment in 1992 formerly managed by his father, should lose use of them as of December 31. The temporary occupation authorization (AOT) of the site from which the restaurant has benefited since 1976 will end from this date, as indicated by the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis in a letter addressed to the owners of L'Épuisette on October 22. Being located along the coast and therefore under State management, the site is subject to European regulations which require it to be put into competition.

“Our occupancy authorization was renewed 5 years ago by the metropolis, which explained that we were not concerned by competitive bidding”argues Bernard Bonnet, referring to the call for tenders organized by the community and ultimately won by a competitor, «The Social Club» and starred chef Coline Faulquier. “Where it turns to Marseille is that we found ourselves with two candidates for the renewal of this delegation. The metropolis claims that this candidate's offer was better. But he doesn't give the reasons.”plagues the owner of L'Épuisette, now forced to leave the premises.

An application that meets “all the criteria”

According to the metropolis, the candidacy of «Social Club» responded to “all the criteria” required by the commission which awarded it the AOT, as clarified by Didier Réault, vice-president of the metropolis responsible for the sea and the coast, to our colleagues at France 3 . The partnership established by the candidate with Coline Faulquier seems to have convinced the commission. The latter should succeed Guillaume Sourrieu, Michelin-starred for more than 20 years and at the head of a team of 22 employees.

“The terms of the call for tenders are very clear. There is no debate, it is not a takeover but the logical continuation of things”whispers Coline Faulquier near the Figaro. “Everyone always knew that L'Épuisette was on the public domain and no one has the exclusive right to it. We just responded to a temporary occupation authorization and our file was accepted. I understand the pain of a person who operated this restaurant for so long. But The Social Club and I have nothing to do with it”sweeps away with the back of the hand the one who claims to want “pay homage” to Guillaume Sourrieu and “make the city of Marseille shine through its gastronomy”.

Arguments which are not to the taste of Bernard Bonnet, angry at the idea of ​​packing up on December 31. “I have no intention of leaving. L'Épuisette is a business that does very well, with 12,000 covers per year. We had even organized ourselves to ensure our succession by building a team around the person who would have taken over from Guillaume Sourrieu”assures the future ex-owner, today ready to fight. “What is certain is that we are not going to let this happen. We made L'Épuisette a tourist and cultural symbol of the Vallon des Auffes and I invested colossal sums in it. If necessary, I will leave, leaving only the walls”says Bernard Bonnet very seriously.