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Opened well before Artus’s box-office hit film with (almost) the same name, the inclusive restaurant “Un petit truc en plus” is enjoying great success in Mulhouse, where its dishes and the freshness of its disabled employees delight customers.
Noon is approaching, the customers will soon arrive and the pressure is slowly building for the four team members, Antoine, Tristan, Juline and Salima, all with Down syndrome. Supported by three volunteers, the first two are busy in the kitchen , the other two take care of the room and the terrace.
Aurélie Bernard, the chef, puts everything to music: “Lets’ go! First, aperitifs, then, there are soups, a salad and a quiche! We’re going to sort the baby spinach. Antoine, a spoon!“.
Charlotte on the head, black shirt and apron, the clerks are impeccable. Antoine “prepared green beans”, “washed the tables” and “wiped the broom”. Tristan “made salads”. You have to “be serious about your work”, professes the man whose guilty pleasure consists of “making the beers”.
The first courses are ready, the doorbell rings. Juline and Salima grab the plates and head for the terrace.I will serve the customers, with joy and happiness (…) I love working here so much!“, enthuses Juline, 27 years old.
“It creates inclusion in society”
With the sun helping, the terrace, nestled on a quiet square in the shade of a large tree, fills up quickly. “We regularly refuse people“, explains Tom Cardoso, 51, general director of the Mulhouse Rehabilitation Center (CRM) and co-founder of the restaurant with Aurélie Bernard.
The idea first emerged at the end of 2017 in the chef’s mind, after seeing a report on an inclusive restaurant in Nantes, explains the woman who was then responsible for catering at the CRM.
“When I saw all the emotions that were going on (…), the customers who were super kind (…), I said to myself that it would be really cool if we did that at home“, explains the 41-year-old chef.
The restaurant, named “Un petit truc en plus” (a nod to the extra chromosome responsible for Down syndrome), opened its doors in September 2019: 36 seats served only at lunchtime, from Monday to Saturday – the establishment also organizes private evenings -, with a simple menu but composed of “homemade dishes”, simmered with “quality products”, explains Tom Cardoso.
In a corner of the terrace, Karine Bechler enjoys a glass of white wine. “I come regularly. It’s good, it’s nice, it’s pleasant.“, explains, sunglasses on her nose, this 64-year-old from Mulhouse. It is “very important” that places like this exist, “it creates inclusion in society”.
In total, the restaurant employs five part-time employees with Down syndrome, supported by several volunteers, including Martine Grosz. This 66-year-old retiree praises the interpersonal qualities of her “teammates”: “They are without filter, it’s spontaneous: it feels really good, really“.
Towards a meeting with the film team?
The restaurant’s immediate success has never wavered. A few days ago, he even welcomed the Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was visiting Mulhouse.
However, the establishment, which has weathered the Covid-19 crisis and rising energy costs without increasing its prices, “is not breaking even,” confides Tom Cardoso. Patrons help replenish the coffers, but ideally, new benefactors would be welcome, he says.
In recent weeks, the team has watched with amusement the huge success in theaters of Artus’ film, “Un p’tit truc en plus”, which features people with disabilities. The film “is great but rude, there are bad words“, Antoine blushed.
Tom Cardoso has tried several times to contact the film crew, to no avail.A little wink would be nice“, smiles Aurélie Bernard, who would like it “a meeting or even an exchange (…) That way, they will be able to tell us why they chose this name for this film!“.