In Dijon, “Les Délices Bleus” hopes to open its doors after work to be extended
Weeks of hassle. This is what the café-restaurant “Les Délices Bleus” experienced. By moving to 49 rue des Godrans, in Dijon, in December 2021, Delphine Jeauneau and her team had the ambition of opening a place a month later run by young autistic employees. The objective: to enable them to develop professionally.
“Normally, we were to open mid-January”
But two months later, the establishment has still not opened its doors. The reason ? The work of transforming the premises never ends. “Normally we were to open in mid-January. But here we are, on one of the problems in terms of the work: the tiling was laid much later than expected, which blocked the other renovations. Above all, because of the health crisis, certain components necessary for the manufacture of the equipment that we had ordered are missing. specifies Delphine Jeuneau, future manager of the premises.
“Right now, we have financial losses”
And this equipment is not ready to arrive at the “Délices Bleus”. Ms. Jeauneau had ordered a kitchen and an adapted dishwasher, so that young people with autism could work in the best conditions. “They were supposed to arrive at the end of January, then at the beginning of February, then in mid-February. Result still nothing. That’s why we had a temporary kitchen set up in the meantime.” plague the future manager. A necessary decision for the coffee to finally start. “It’s time to go. Most of the work has been done and we are aiming to officially open on March 8, she continues. Especially since at the moment, we have financial losses: even if the extension of the work does not add additional costs, I pay the rent, the electricity and all the charges without any money coming in. »
Opening to the general public scheduled for March 8
Until then, there is still work to do. “Once the workers have left, we will have all the cleaning part left. We must also arrange the interior of the restaurant by arranging tables, filling the bar, etc. And finally, something important to me: the decoration ». A busy program therefore, to be accomplished in less than seven days since before opening to the general public on March 8, “Les Délices Bleus” hopes to be able to spend a “test” week from March 3story of “try out the equipment and give our employees time to adapt”.
“The enthusiasm around the project […] gives hope for the future »
Despite everything, Ms. Jeauneau wants to be positive: “ I still have doubts but I tell myself that we finally see the end of the tunnel. The enthusiasm around the project really made us happy and gives hope for the future. “. Allusion to the good health of the online solidarity kitty which finances the work. The initial goal was to collect 10,000 euros. But the enthusiasm was such that the winnings reached 20,000 euros. “Thanks to the generosity of donors, we were able to order new equipmentsmiles Delphine Jeuneau. Fortunately, because with all the troubles we had during the work period, it’s not the time to be depressed. »
By Antoine County