The quay bars are on the front lines of the Saint-Louis crowds. On Thursday morning, installations and deliveries continued along the banks of the canal.
The dancing at Saint-Louis quayside bars has begun. But behind the counters there is an exceptional organization on the part of the restaurateurs. Each in their own way, they arrange the pavements and plan their stocks for these four intense days.
Prepare for service limitations
The staff at each company will be on alert. Some reinforcements will arrive to help control the influx. Between regulars, Sétois and tourists, everyone should be satisfied.
At Lumière’s café, opposite the Halles, “we try to simplify the organization as much as possible, so that it is as fast and simple as possible. Some, for example, only want one beer and three syrups.“
There will be new restrictions this year, which we will also have to adapt to. “We will no longer offer glass bottles. This is a request from the prefecture. So with Barajo we set up a system with pitchers. The same for wine, it becomes plastic bottles.“
Well-established logistics
And bottles will be needed! The influx of customers requires planning. The owner of the Korner Café confides that they have ordered “80 barrels to Saint-Louis. That’s 2,400 liters of beer! We also have a refill this weekend with about thirty extra barrels.“Larger orders that suppliers and brewers must anticipate.
At Boule, the quay bar modules are ordered two months in advance. “All logistics are handled by the brewer if we need tables or fridges.“
From Thursday morning everyone was busy setting it up. “We have the special feature of having a purpose-built bodega ready for use. We put it on in the morning in thirty minutes and we take it off Tuesday nightexplains Vincent Sabatier, from 2 Ramiers. The hardest part will be not getting stained with our white outfits (laughs).”
