Toulouse. Valentin worked day and night to realize his dream and open his restaurant
By Maxence Dourlen
Published on
Where there is a will, there is a way. Valentine Bourdon, a 21-year-old young man, is the perfect illustration of this. Determined and hardworking, this cooking enthusiast worked tirelessly for several months to realize one of his dreams: opening his own restaurant a Toulouse.
The project of a (young) life
Having studied at the Puits Saint-Jacques in Pujaudran, Les Boulistes, Food and even the Villa in Toulouse, Valentin has always wanted to set up his own business. But for that, money was needed… “I saved for a long time to be able to get where I am, welcomes the young man. I had this dream in mind since I was little…”
“In any case, my business would have been called ‘Valentino’, in honor of my father who is ill. He would have liked me to be called like that because he is a big fan of Valentino Rossi…”
A transformed laundromat
Launched in search of a place since last summer, Valentin has chained visits with a sometimes restricted budget to settle in the city center. “One day, I came across a somewhat dilapidated laundromat, near Place Saint-Pierre, rue des Blanchers. It was a bit of a squat, a place where there were clandestine concerts… I hesitated, but finally I took the plunge”, explains the restaurateur.
The only concern and not the least for him: the right of pre-emption that the municipality could have lifted. “I had to wait two months before the sale was validated,” he continues.
4 months of day and night work
Alone in this somewhat crazy adventure, Valentin, who had no knowledge of building, embarked on major work for four months, day and night. “How did I do it? I watched tutorials on YouTube, fun one who spent a few years of his life in Grenoble. During the first 15 days, I spent my time breaking everything in the laundromat and I even sold the machines. Then I did the dining room, the toilets and the kitchen all by myself. »
During the work, the young man from Toulouse even goes so far as to sleep on the spot. “It was hard… Every day I doubted, I felt like I was never going to make it,” he recalls. Pugnacious, Valentin did not give up despite the absence of unemployment and the first four months of rent to pay. Literally exhausted at the end of the work, he even hesitated to sell his business…
“I had spent all my savings, but I didn’t care about the money anymore… Finally, I broke away and managed to open the restaurant! »
It’s burger smash time!
A big fan of burgers, Valentin quickly found his idea about the orientation to give to his restaurant. “I was tired of eating classic sandwiches, explains the one who started in hotel school at 13 years old. So I turned to the smash burger which is a bit more elaborate. »
To carry out this project, the Toulousain decided to go directly to the source, in particular to obtain very specific pains from the Martin’s brand that can only be found in the United States. “I also made the choice of organic vegetables that I collect in the neighborhood. »
In his restaurant, Valentin offers several recipes including a rather special one: the golden V. A smash burger… covered in gold !
Sensitive to waste
Sensitive to waste and committed to not throwing anything away, the young man regularly makes people in need happy.
“We are at a time when there is a lot of poverty… I prefer to give what is not consumed before it expires. People in need are of course welcome. »
Highly motivated and proud of his journey, Valentin “wants to smash everything” in the coming months! Next step: hiring an employee to free up a little. “Between service, accounting, cleaning or the traceability of my products, I don’t go to bed before 6 a.m. every day… I don’t want my work to be useless. »
In a few weeks, it should finally be supported to be able to open at noon. “For the moment, I only open in the evening… But I am very happy with the feedback from customers and local residents. One thing is certain: Valentin can be proud of himself and of the work accomplished over the past several weeks.
Valentin’o smash house, open Monday to Wednesday, 6 p.m. to midnight, and Thursday to Sunday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., at 56 rue des Blanchers in Toulouse.
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