Un bon shoot de protéines et des pommes de terre pour caler l'estomac. Nous ne sommes pas dans n'importe quel restaurant. Bienvenue dans le plus grand resto routier de France pour les durs à cuire de la route. L'Escale brille comme une période de Covid. Seuls 250 restaurants réservés aux routiers ont reçu l'autorisation d'ouvrir, et seulement pour eux. Les automobilistes qui descendent dans le sud par Lavin sont obligés de passer leur chemin. 

Cela fait 80 ans que l'Escale bichonne ses gros durs au cœur tendre. Dans cette période difficile, cela amène du baume au cœur. Mais pour une fois cette année, avec le Covid, les rôles s'inversent. Le patron de l'Escale a besoin de ses routiers pour survivre. D'habitude, c'est plein, oui, le parking est blindé. Les gars s'arrêtent, mangent, repartent, alors que là, il n'y a rien du tout. 

Dans ce monde fait d'acier et de testostérone, pas question de se plaindre, mais place à l'action pour se relever. Les patrons regorgent d'idées. C'est beau, c'est une belle bête. Là, ils espèrent cartonner avec des plateaux-repas de luxe à emporter, et surtout faits maison. Il faut qu'on se batte. Pas le choix, c'est

Féard, mais un solide travailleur, est parti à 4h du matin sur le parking du restaurant routier. Les murs dorment toujours à point. Jonathan fait l'ouverture. Il sert dans un routier, mais ici, la tenue est de rigueur. Ça fait partie de l'accueil et de la présentation de la maison. Ça fait partie de notre accueil, tout simplement. Il est seul pour préparer une centaine de petits-déjeuners. C'est énorme, mais depuis l'arrivée du virus, le travail est beaucoup moins fatigant. Avant, les cuisines étaient ouvertes 24/24, donc à 5h du matin, il pouvait manger un steak, des œufs, une omelette. Il pouvait vraiment manger ce qu'il voulait. Là, du coup, les cuisines ne sont pas autorisées à ouvrir à ces heures-là, donc on fait le petit-déjeuner de 5h à 10h le matin. On s'adapte. Voilà, les solides gaillards en auront quand même pour leur compte. Ils ne mourront pas de faim. Il faut que je prépare la confiture, le beurre, les petites corbeilles de pain. À 5h du matin, le parking s'éveille. Bonjour tout le monde ! Les chauffeurs se pressent. Dans la profession, les retards de livraison sont souvent sanctionnés. Bonjour, un grand crème, ça marche. Tu veux boire, tu veux manger quelque chose ? Un chocolat

Convivial, tiens, je te remercie. On est à la maison, voilà, tout simplement, et ça fait du bien en ce moment, j'imagine. Ah oui, ça fait du bien. Une fois qu'ils mettent les pieds sous la table, ils sont un peu comme chez eux. Il y en a qui ne rentrent pas de la semaine. Les douches qu'ils vont prendre, c'est ici. Le petit-déjeuner, c'est ici. Ils sont un peu comme chez eux. 

Les chauffeurs sont unanimes : si les restos routiers avaient tous fermé, beaucoup auraient déposé le volant. C'est très important, surtout pour le moral. On ne conduit pas des citadines, on conduit du poids lourd. Moi, je pars pendant 4 jours, je ne peux pas imaginer si le matin je ne bois pas mon café. Le soir, c'est comme si je ne m'étais jamais levé. 

90 % des marchandises consommées en France traversent chaque jour le pays dans les remorques des camionneurs. Pour Jonathan, le gouvernement ne s'est pas trompé en leur laissant des havres de paix. Si demain il décide de ne plus vouloir d'économie, ce sera un grand désastre. 

Décidément, plus de rouler, les magasins seront, entre guillemets, si on peut dire ça comme ça. Salut, à la prochaine, bonne route à ceux qui sont sur la route. Je

Love, we have to do everything in the house. We are going to leave tonight with everything clean. I was raised with a mop; I have logged many hours of mopping. Indeed, a man is manual. He started at 18 as a tiler before moving into the restaurant industry. I began as a server, a basic server, then a bartender, followed by a pizzeria server, and then a brasserie server. After that, I became a restaurant manager for about ten years, and then spent 15 years at the Escale. That's destiny, and above all, a lot of hard work. Today, Tom is only afraid of one thing: that all this sweat has been for nothing. Even if he has permission to open, he had to close several rooms; the restaurant part is closed. This has made it feel like a bankruptcy. Have you ever seen your restaurant like this? Oh no, no, no, never! We could never have imagined this, not even at the end of last year. It's worth mentioning that he was serving 700 covers a day and even up to 1,000 on weekends. To avoid losing money, Tom needs to accommodate 170 trucks a day, and for now, that's far from being achieved. During the lockdown, we note and see it; it's clear that the road is almost empty. Many drivers no longer have work; only food and everyday products are circulating continuously, especially shipments like Pierro's, which have

Here we are, among drivers, we call this laoren. I don't know if it's a luxury product, but it might become one. Yes, honestly, when we see what we're wearing, I think it will become a luxury product. Pierre has been towing trailers on the roads of France for 25 years, constantly behind him like a family member. According to him, the trailer is called la belle mer. Why? Because we always have it attached to us, and it does what it wants. Excuse me, it's like that anyway; it's la belle mer. He never really has time to see them, a bit like the story of his life, with an average of nine hours on the road every day, marrying the road. It's a life of a wanderer; today we are here, tomorrow we are elsewhere. We don't have a fixed point; every day brings new encounters, different landscapes, and corners of France that we discover, corners of Europe. It's our life, it's our passion. If you're not passionate about the road, if you're not passionate about it, and if you don't have diesel in your veins, it doesn't work. I'm also one of the divorced people in France. I understand the women who go towards other horizons because, well, it's not easy to live with a ghost. I'm not one of the exceptions, but there you go. How many have you had? I'm on my second. Hello? Yes, what do you want?

It's going well, friends. First of all, I love singing. Pierro, that's the most important thing on the road. Tell me, do you want to stop at the escale tonight or not? No, I'm talking about Chen. You're talking about Chen. Where are you going? Are you at least stopping to eat? After that, we'll see what happens. Yeah, yeah, see you later. I love you too. For me, the escale is home. I eat at the escale more often than I eat at home. 

The hardest part for the cook at the roadside restaurant is knowing how many meals to prepare. Before COVID, it was simple: an average of 450 every night, all fresh, all natural. This golden rule, combined with a low price, has built the reputation of the café restaurant Ça Va 138. So, we need to work with products that will fit into this menu, while also stepping a little off the beaten path. Quality for under 14 euros. Tonight, the road warriors get to enjoy the chef's specialty: beef cheek. It melts in your mouth; it's tender and succulent. We won't just serve them a simple beef bourguignon that will be tough. We need to take care of our drivers and pamper them. 

It’s starting to smell good: the beef cheek with a pinch of four-spice blend. It's a bit of a special recipe for truckers. I'm going to get the beer—not

For 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking, while the truck drivers start to settle in the parking lot, Marie Noël, who wears two hats as both head waiter and COVID officer, steps into the scene and takes her role very seriously. She has set up bins, so here we go. Ah no, everyone comes here except for COVID; that is essential. I restock our dispensers and columns with hydroalcoholic gel before each service. I am very vigilant about all health measures, and I am very, very, very strict with my colleagues. They are my little protected ones, my puppies. I am practically their elder; many of them call me Maëlan. So, we pamper them. They also call me the old one, which is much less cool. They call me the old lady. It's fine, just a little helping hand tonight. There are no sick people among the staff, and Marie Noël is relieved. Well, here we go; it's coming along well, so we will have a crowd tonight. Pierro is one of the first to arrive. Yeah, Tom, it's you who is arriving. Who's coming? It's me who is arriving, frog. Yes, it's me who is arriving. Okay, see you later. Alright, see you later. Who is it? We are arriving at home. Pierre stops by Tom's every week for the past 15 years. Hey, chicken, how's it going? Well, come

I prefer to see your women anyway. It's not surprising, we've known each other for 15 years, 15 years that you put up with me and 15 years that I put up with you. That's why we are brothers. Does it please you to see a boss working? Ah, a friend doesn't mean above the anti-COVID laws, and you don't want to stay at the bar for an aperitif; you have to take it to the table. Sorry, what a disaster this BR is. The truck drivers are punctuated by great moments of solitude; without friends, life wouldn't be bearable for many. Tonight, well, you like to meet a bit of a crowd; all day you are alone. Well, you have the phone, you have some nonsense, but in the evening, we meet up, have a drink, discuss, talk a bit about everything. If there's none of that, you either go crazy, become antisocial, or, well, you just stay in your cave and don't move. They really thought they were going crazy during the first lockdown when their favorite restaurant had to close. We couldn't wash, we couldn't go to the bathroom, we couldn't eat, we couldn't park even at night because the restaurants were closed, so the parking lots were closed too. It was a bit of anarchy. We equipped ourselves with some jerry cans, baby wipes, a cooler, and a camping stove. At one point, I think of you, but it's

We had clients who used the showers, yes, but not all of them. It was even difficult for a woman to find her place in this world of tough guys. Thank you, Évelyne, who knows something about it; she has been driving for 25 years. You told me, No, at the lemonade stand. Yes, that night she was the only truck driver in the room, as is often the case. A long time ago, I had dinner with a woman; she was a young Dutch woman just starting out on the road. She was a little lost, so we ate together and hit it off. When was that? At least more than 10 years ago. In the restaurant, there was another woman, Marie Noël, who was swirling around among those big guys. There you go, sir, good continuation. She is the queen of little attentions. Do you want some cheese? Yes, please, the showers. Ah yes, the showers, they are our little darlings. So we take care of them; she also looks after their health, as per protocol. She collects all the phone numbers in case of COVID. I will give you a little sheet to fill out. After 9 months of the epidemic, it makes a good directory. Apollo doesn't hesitate to try their luck. The phone number is just for you. Yes, it's just for me; it's my little personal collection. Your name, your first name, your little phone

In certain places like Pierre's, some people don't go home for the week. When you step into the shower, you take that and put it everywhere because you don't know if the person before you had a short-lived happiness. You have to pay €2.50 for a 5-minute token; it's the best moment of the day. It feels better than a slap on the backside. Evelyne knows this well; like many truck drivers, she's been looking for a shower for two days now, but she doesn't complain. She's experienced mixed bathrooms. When I started driving, we didn't have them; we waited for the men to leave before taking our showers. Now, everywhere you go, there are showers, and it's really nice. I will truly appreciate the token. You put the token in, and you wait. Once, I couldn't rinse off, so I got dressed in the men's showers to finish up. 

At 9 PM, it's the warriors' rest time. Well, it's good; we had a nice meal. Normally, you see this parking lot filled with trucks. Every night, truck drivers sleep in their cabins. It's true that life isn't easy; you have to do it with pleasure. Good night, sir. Good night, chicken. See you tomorrow. 

In our 4 square meters, we have the room, the fridge, the kitchen up a bit, and down a bit, the stock of food, cakes, and canned goods.

We will say that, in case of COVID, we don't find something. Also, in winter, when we are on the road, it's important to know that trucks can be blocked for just 1 cm of snow. My bed is 2.50 meters long and 70 cm wide; it's not the same as my bed at home, but we still sleep well. So, good night from the parking lot. Eveline doesn't like to be hidden by other trucks; she always positions herself under a streetlight. It keeps the curious away. I always park here because I don't like being squeezed between trucks. I don't know why; maybe it's for safety. I like being in a well-lit area, maybe because I'm a woman. In reality, drivers can sleep soundly because at night, nothing escapes MAF, the risk agent, or rather the guardian of these sheep. There are no worries; the guarded parking doesn't cost truck drivers anything; it's included in the menu. All night, MAF is on the lookout for thieves or perhaps for drivers who are a bit too noisy. You're still going to sleep well, right? Thank you. No law prohibits them from consuming alcohol in the parking lot as long as they don't disturb others. No problem. If they cause trouble on the road, that’s for the police to handle. Everything is calm, but in the dining area, the closure of restaurants due to the epidemic occupies everyone’s attention.

Discussions, bonsoir. Sur 800 relais routiers, seuls 250 ont reçu l'autorisation d'ouvrir, soit un tous les 40 km en moyenne. On a plus de chances d'attraper le Covid, je pense, dans un transport, dans un restaurant où vous faites tout pour respecter la distanciation sociale. C'est ce que ma fille me disait. Dans le transport, comme il était surchargé, elle me disait : Mais comment on fait pour ne pas l'attraper ? Oui, voilà, c'est bizarre. Il y a beaucoup de cas de Covid chez les chauffeurs, vous avez entendu parler ? Je n'en ai pas connu, mais j'avais vu les chiffres au premier confinement. J'en ai connu un. Pourquoi ont-ils dit : Bon, on va ouvrir certains restaurants ? Pourquoi ? Pour calmer les routiers. À un moment donné, voilà, dans un camion de 6 m, ce ne sont pas des chiots. En tout cas, parce qu'il arrive les jours, puis les semaines, et puis le mois qu'on se débarrasse de ce machin. À bientôt, salut, bonne route et bon courage. Je veux être optimiste, pourtant la journée n'est pas bonne. Il n'a rempli que la moitié de ses objectifs. Ce soir, ce n'est pas top, parce que moins de 80 couverts pour un lundi, non, ce n'est pas top. Je pense que la semaine prochaine,

A few hours later, in the early morning, a special order arrives for Nicolas, the chef. I’m now looking at these boxes filled with kilos of seafood and shellfish straight from Brittany. We have lobsters here, they are well-sized, blue lobsters considered the finest of the fine; they are ultra-fresh. Oh, this is ultra-fresh! It’s going to be impossible for the truck drivers tonight. No, if we offer them lobsters, it won't be the same price. The chef intends to use them for takeout sales for individuals. Nicolas is going to incorporate them into the seafood platter. Look at this one-kilo lobster; it's a beautiful specimen. Tom had the idea to launch a high-end click and collect service. It’s been over a month since his most loyal customers could no longer come to the restaurant, and customers can be lost quickly, even regulars. This allows people not to forget us, so to speak, and for us to stay a little in contact with the customers as well. We present them as half-shell or whole; it depends. We can call it differently on a seafood platter; it immediately looks prettier. A beautiful lobster displayed elegantly like this. The technique is borrowed from gourmet restaurants. After 16 minutes of cooking, the lobster comes out of the bath. We are seeing them work with live lobsters, and it’s magnificent. In reality, if this business has been running for 15 years, it’s because

Business hides a solid asset here; all decisions are made by Isabelle, his wife. They are united by work but more so by marriage. They have been separated for 12 years. Yes, 12 years. If I count, I don't really count. When you love, you don't keep score. My wounds have healed; it's fine. It just requires tolerance, especially from the man who was let go. Well, the breakup has been digested, but for 12 years, we still need to move forward together in the same direction. It's not always easy. 

Today's topic is the organization of the seafood platter sale. If it's organized, established, and properly arranged, then it's feasible. You see? Oh, yes, I'm positive. Isabelle would like the clients to pick up the platters at a designated counter in the restaurant. It's a matter of organization. Where will we give them to the clients? Madame has an idea that I don't find very wise, and that's it. It's not a wise idea either because this afternoon you told me, Oh no, actually this afternoon when we were over there, you looked at who said no. The second idea? No, but I'm talking about the first one here. The game of I love you, neither do I works wonderfully and has always worked that way. Do you sometimes agree? Oh yes, but that's what makes our strength—not agreeing. But it's tiring because I think that if we...

aurait tout le temps été d'accord ou pas, arriver ici, c'est une lutte. On est tout le temps en lutte tous les deux, non ? On a vu d'autres, on a vu d'autres beaucoup plus compliqués. Qui a gagné ? Pour l'instant, un partout. Au centre, Isabelle part vérifier que ces plateaux en imposent. Il y a un plus maillot, oui, oui, avec S. Ouais, c'est la première journée où ça commence, faut qu'on soit au top. 135 € le plateau de fruits de mer pour deux, avec un homard, évidemment. On est loin du menu routier. Ouais, je vois ça. C'est mes talons de furistes là, c'est bien là, madame Thomas. Par contre, attention, qu'est-ce qu'il y avait ? Il y avait un petit papier qui dépassait là-dessus. Je suis pénible, j'aime bien les choses bien faites, mais bon, je les embête tout le temps. Ils doivent se dire qu'il y a des fois quel changement dans la bataille. C'est toute l'équipe qui part au combat. Philippe, le chef pâtissier, concocte lui aussi une recette haut de gamme à emporter. Je suis en train de préparer un biscuit chocolat pour faire la spirale mirabelle. Philippe a travaillé dans de grands restaurants. Crème fouettée pour la mousse vanille, ce n'est pas un gâteau de rout

No kissing, please. I'm frustrated. You have the decorations and the backgrounds; I'll take care of photographing the dishes that will be offered for takeout on the website. We need to take nice photos that entice people because visuals are extremely important. We know that visuals encourage people to buy. Is that okay with you? Look, we're going to branch out a little. She thought she would have time to pass the restaurant on to her three children, but today, with Tom, they are trying to save it. It's been 15 years, an abnormal amount of time, and now, during confinement, it's a matter of life. We've always seen them working; they have been working for 40 years, and then, overnight, they are told to stop. They can no longer work, and it's incredibly hard. What is going to happen? Furthermore, we don't have access to any aid because we have more than 50 employees. For companies with more than 50 employees, there is no support; we simply don't exist in the restaurant sector, and that is tough. We wonder why because we are supporting 85 families. Plus, in the castle, it weighs heavily. If we have to lay off people or potentially go under, that's what I'm saying. I don't know what we will become because we are reaching the end of our journey, and it hurts. We have given it our all. We have to be super positive. I think positively; I tell myself that...

The positive brings about the positive, and if we think positively while taking initiatives like this, by doing takeout sales and beautiful photos, ah, it's super! But it's true that at times, it's hard to swallow. We need to see it as an obstacle and not a hindrance. This means it won't prevent you from doing beautiful things; on the contrary, it will allow you to test new things, to renew yourself a little bit. And above all, we should remember that it's just a tough moment and that the best is definitely yet to come.

The cakes are online; will the magic happen around 5:30 PM? The truck parking area is coming back to life. What are you doing, Domini? I'm opening the parking for tonight. Look, there's a guy arriving, and he's not the only one. At least we'll have some customers, to which we need to add the first two online customers from the Escale website. How to entice them? I hope you bring good luck because you are truly the first to come and get seafood from us. Since we are deprived of restaurants, we're going to turn our home into a restaurant, and we want to support local merchants because I am very worried about the future of restaurateurs. I'm really, really concerned. You may be a bit inconvenienced, but being the first deserves a surprise. I've put a little extra dessert for you here; it's one of the new desserts the chef has made. So, I hope you

Thank you very much. Next time, we have to believe that luck is starting to turn for them. The seafood platters and pastries are flying off the shelves. Are you keeping an eye on the sales? Let me check. So, there are three orders: one for tomorrow at noon, oh yes, that's quite soon, and two for tomorrow evening: mirabelle spiral, peanut tartlet, white chocolate, red fruit, and the finger to give Tom some courage. For him, it's a sign of a promising future. I keep telling you that we're going to make it, and tonight the bosses are not in for a surprise, unlike the night before. Dozens of trucks are filling the parking lot, so much so that in less than an hour, it's almost full. It's been 20 minutes, and we have to wait; we need to eat and wash up. The service has taken on a different rhythm, and that's not displeasing to the waiter who was starting to get bored in the dining room. It feels a bit nostalgic. Yes, it's nice to have a bit of that back; it reminds us of the good times in the kitchen. Do you have any memories from there? Nicolas, the chef, is a bit overwhelmed by this unexpected rush. He quickly runs out of potato gratin. Fortunately, he has a plan B. This is the pasta gratin that serves as a substitute for the potato gratin we no longer have. Ah yes, always anticipate;

Bag in the water, only here tonight, even the backup plans are going at full speed. A single gratin, fortunately, the gratin of PTE is not really the most difficult thing to cook. And now, another problem: clean plates. We’re trying to do a bit of the washing up because otherwise, we’re going to run out of glasses for the servers, cooks, and assistants. Despite having fewer staff, the truck driver still kept up the pace without losing quality. It’s good, it’s true. I don’t know what it is, but in any case, it’s not bad. 22 hours of service and it’s time for the report: 1,700 covers during this period is unprecedented. Ah, that’s impressive! Since the reopening, it’s the first time we’ve done so much. We can think that we’re going to wrap things up; we’re sure we won’t have to work at least. So, that’s good. It’s nice. Tom decompresses; finally, I’m enjoying myself. Times are tough, but that’s no reason to ruin the biggest party of the year, the one that brings together young and old. A little reminder for the truck drivers: we must not forget them, for the drivers who are often far from their families and especially their children. They wouldn’t understand if the restaurant didn’t radiate the magic of Christmas. And we need to put big stars on each side. I hope

Geste de notre part de donner un peu de couleur, un peu de chaleur au décor classique. On va mettre le Père Noël. C'est vraiment joli là, ça réussit vraiment l'entrée. Je vais le prendre en photo parce que je suis vraiment content. Regarde comme il est beau ! Ça fait bien, ça fait bien. C'est un peu difficile. Tom a le même rêve que des milliers de restaurateurs en France : ouvrir ses portes le 20 janvier et peut-être même pour les fêtes, comme un miracle de Noël.

L'Escale | Le plus grand relais routier de France

L'Escale | Le plus grand relais routier de France