Chenôve. "With Covid and the fear of urban violence, it's become complicated": Le Rougail restaurant closes

Between bitterness and disillusionment, Hanta Ramanantsoa closes his restaurant Le Rougail , adjoining the Cèdre cultural center.

Open since 2018 in this commercial space that she rented from the municipality of Chenôve, Le Rougail has been out of business for the past few years after a rather promising start. Hanta le Rougail, as her regular customers call her, feels like the victim of "a double punishment" that would have been fatal to her restaurant business.

"After the Covid crisis in 2020, people changed the way they consumed. Attendance was no longer the same as at the beginning. It became complicated."

And then, the "fear of urban violence in Chenôve," according to her, had a deterrent effect on her former clientele, "how can we make people understand that Chenôve is not necessarily a scary place?" asks the woman who lives in the town and has no intention of leaving. "It's my town," she says in a weary voice following the difficult situation she is going through. Other reasons come to light during the interview.

"After much thought, I decided to remove catering from my activities. With retirement approaching, I no longer want to rack my brains. The business isn't closing; I prefer to keep it quiet by keeping only my catering service. I hope to live better because this restaurant was very stressful."

Originally from Madagascar, Hanta Ramanantsoa wanted to promote the gastronomy of the Indian Ocean: "Rougail is a dish cooked in all the sister islands of the Indian Ocean. People who went on vacation to these islands also had the opportunity to relive that vacation moment a little. The restaurant was a bit like a social room; it was very family-friendly and convivial ."