“Every day, six restaurants close their doors, six restaurateurs lose everything.“It is with this appalling statistic that each issue of Nightmare in the kitchen. This Wednesday, January 15, the coaching show hosted by Philippe Etchebest returned to M6 for a new episode. The Best Worker in France headed to Bourg-lès-Valence, in the Drôme, to help Julien and Stéphanie, who had been in great difficulty since they launched into the restaurant business seven months earlier. “We opened in November 2023 and until the Christmas holidays, things were going pretty well. Then the dream turned into a nightmare“, Julien confided to our colleagues at Dauphiné Libéré. “I wanted to take the lead and sent a bottle to the sea in June. (…) Everything happened very quickly. In July, we filmed“he added.
Nightmare in the kitchen : Philippe Etchebest leaves “a little surprise” to Julien after his visit
Filming which had to be put on hold when Julien suffered an impressive bout of vagal discomfort, following an overflow of emotions and stress linked to his complicated family history. After a little rest, the coaching process for the show hosted by Philippe Etchebest was able to resume. Small painting jobs, change of menu, redevelopment of the kitchen by a professional who also installed a hygiene pack which provides information on the different cleaning deadlines… everything has been done to give new impetus to the establishment. Julien is amazed by the work done. “We have heat lamps, a brand new fryer. (…) We will need training and help but it is an extraordinary work tool“, rejoices Julien in the show. Before leaving, Philippe Etchebest made a point of “leave a little surprise” to the young leader: a set of professional kitchen knives and new outfits. “The boss is sending me something“, declares Julien, moved. Going from a 5 to a 16 out of 20 after the visit of Philippe Etchebest, Julien and Stéphanie were therefore on the right track to save their restaurant. “It’s nice, it means that I didn’t come for nothing and that you did what was necessary to redress the situation.“, rejoiced the juror Top Chef. “In addition to that, you have training offered to both of you, Stéphanie in the dining room and Julien in the kitchen, by GRETA-Ardèche“, added the starred chef.
Nightmare in the kitchen : despite the visit of Philippe Etchebest, Julien and Stéphanie’s restaurant has closed!
Initiatives to which were added “a consultant to follow them for ten months“, as Julien recalls in the Dauphiné Libéré. “When we saw Philippe Etchebest arrive, we said to ourselves: ‘Phew, the establishment is saved. He’s going to crush us for an hour, we’re going to cry and then we’re going to start something extraordinary again‘”, he declared in the columns of the Rhône daily. Unfortunately, the result did not live up to their hopes, as the couple had accumulated so much debt in just a few months. “Since my visit, despite our help and advice, Stéphanie and Julien unfortunately did not succeed in reducing their debts. They were therefore forced to close their workers’ bar“, announces a final panel. “We closed in October. It’s not because of the show. We are the ones who requested the placement in judicial liquidation because we couldn’t continue like this. The show, on the contrary, allowed us to open our eyes to many things“, specifies Julien in the columns of Dauphiné Libéré. Since then, Julien and Stéphanie have been “more united“and are considering new professional projects.”My wife found work as an administrative secretary, which suits her. I am looking for training“, he reveals in his interview. The establishment was also bought.
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