1. Home
2. People & Opinion

Q&A: Christopher Lecoufle, general manager and head sommelier, Les 110 de Taillevent

You decided to temporarily close one day before the official government lockdown. What was the situation like at that point?

I find it all very sad. I’m 25 now and this was my first position as general manager. So to be closing after five years for a reason that has nothing to do with the restaurant is difficult, but we went from 150 covers per day down to two in the heart of Marylebone.

At least we know we are going to reopen. Many took the early decision to close and fire many of their staff. Will they be able to replace them? I’m not so sure.

How do you think this will affect the industry once things do return to “normality”? 

It’s already difficult to recruit staff in the UK. French people used to be excited to come here and learn English, but now it’s very difficult. I’m not sure London is the dream it used to be – especially if you felt you were fired so easily. 

You’ve temporarily decamped to the French countryside. How are you keeping busy? 

I’ve gone back to Normandy for the time being to see some greenery. But I haven’t stopped. We’ve got a WhatsApp group going for the UK Taillevent to stay in contact and share gym stuff. Then 5pm every day we have a meeting, coming up with seasonal dishes and sharing ideas – the somms are making presentations of wines they’d like to work on. So we’re keeping our brains working. For me, knowledge is the most important thing. 

What are you hoping will happen now?

It’s difficult to say. The lockdown [in France] has been going on for two weeks now. That’s a lot in the lifetime of a restaurant, as things move so quickly. But the spirit among the team is very much still there and I’m grateful to the owners of Tavillent for allowing us to keep staff. We’re hoping to be open again as soon as possible.