Leader Stephane Milan, at the head of the gourmet restaurant Treviso, in the heart of the Parc de Sceaux, in the Hauts-de-Seine, has come a long way. “If I had not put myself under the protection of the court, I could have lost everything I took thirty years to build”, explains this former pastry chef of the Bristol and the Plaza Athénée.
Placed in receivership in June 2019 by the commercial court of Nanterre, its group, which manages three subsidiaries, Treviso Event (room rentals, catering service, etc.), Treviso Restaurant (100 covers in summer), and Treviso Kiosk (sale of snacking), with 22 employees, may spread over six years the payment of its debts.
“But if my lawyer had not encouraged me to do so, I would never have taken this step because for me – and as for many of my colleagues – going to court is synonymous with immediate liquidation. “, he confides. But in 2019, even before the pandemic, he no longer has a choice. The company is failing to recover from its losses.
When Stéphane Milan was contacted five years earlier by the Hauts-de-Seine department to open a restaurant in the old farmhouse, next to the castle, he who runs the O 110 restaurant on the roof of the Grande Arche in La Défense is seduced by adventure.
Cessation of payments
But the case does not take. The restaurant is not visible, too expensive. The first two years are catastrophic. The strategy is overhauled. Success is finally coming, the group turnover closed at 1.3 million in 2019. “But we do not manage to get out of the red, we drag our years of delays in VAT, payment of rents and charges to Urssaf”, says Stéphane Milan, who decides to push the door of the court.
The Treviso group, in suspension of payments, was placed in receivership in June 2019, with an observation period of sixteen months during which its debt of 420,000 euros is frozen. “He was able to benefit from the Covid orders which allow until December 2021 to go beyond the usual twelve months of observation”, indicates Christophe Basse, the judicial representative who took care of his case.
According to the continuation plan, Stéphane Milan will have to repay 4,800 euros per month in a few days until 2027. “It also allowed me to be advised on the strategy. For example, I am going to merge my three companies into one because it cost me too much, ”says the manager.
The health crisis – and the compulsory closures of the restaurant, from March 2020 – could have turned everything upside down when Treviso recovers. The turnover is halved in 2020. But partial unemployment, direct aid and deferral of rents cushion the blow. Stéphane Milan collects 30,000 euros per month (10,000 euros per company under the solidarity fund since January 2021).
“State aid has been very generous, most restaurateurs have functioned very well or even made exceptional turnover thanks to this”, admits the chef. The question of rents remains a problem, the department – owner of the walls – claiming the unpaid bills from the Covid-19 period.
