Clearing up the Le P'tit Paris story
Regarding the photo I placed of Le P'tit Paris yesterday. It was not placed there to start trouble with Le P'tit or to start rumors. It was placed there because I was sick to my stomach at seeing them closed. I was sick of seeing restaurants and other businesses close. I was sick of seeing friends gone.
I like Regis and Shriley a lot. I have liked them from the day I met them, they have always been incredible people. I like Eduardo and Rosa from Cita's and Havana Grove, a lot. I liked and loved the staff at these places. I was shocked when Azul, the clothing store at CocoWalk, was gone overnight, I would see Craig, the owner, daily, walking here and there in the Grove.
The purpose of the photo yesterday was to say, "What is going on around here?"
I don't usually allow nasty restaurant comments by anonymous people because everyone has their own taste. I happened to love the mussles at Le P'tit Paris, for instance and would go there for them, while others didn't like them. I feel that the staff goes out of their way, sure you can have a rude person here and there, I have been accused of that daily by people! Restaurants are very stressful places to work and run, keep that in mind.
Anyway, in case you missed it, Regis, the owner of Le P'tit Paris left this comment, I can hear him speaking in his thick accent:
Dear all,
First of all, to stop all rumors, we'll go out of business by January 4th. Up to that date, we'll be open almost each night and all day long on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Even if the business slow down a little bit, the only reason we go out, is for very, very serious health trouble for one of us (Regis or Shirley) confirmed last Friday by doctors. By consequence, we do not have any other choice. We need quite time, not compatible (at all...) with business restaurant.
For 18 months, it has been a pleasure to serve you all. Thanks to our partners (Louis and HL), all our team, managers (Fab & Jean Charles), our Chef, Keith (which is serving food in Coconut Grove for about 20years), Magali (2nd Chef), our main waiters (Laurent, Pablo, Murat, Sergio, Aida, John, the list should be too long...), and all our dishwashers. You all can't imagine how theses guys has been devoted to please you !
Thanks to all our competitors such as John and Kim, Sylvanno, George Eric, Bruno & Christian for their support and advice.
Thanks to "real" local customers such as Barbara and Karl, Carlos and his family, John, David, David & Patricia, Frankie Lopez and his family, commissioner Sarnoff and his lovely wife, Richard, David Pujas, Nanny, Claudia, Laurie from Biscayne Bank, to name a few...and of course all the French crew (Bernard, Nico, Rodolphe, Francois, Sophie, Momo, Fred et Nathalie from Nikita Sunset, Laure and her Kids, Sylvie, etc, etc,... we love you all. Thanks for the good time we shared.
I read a comment about our landlord: there's no reason to blame him. Hakki is a real straight nice guy, a "word" gentleman, helped us a lot during this period. I can't see any link between him, and the fact that the traffic has been divided by 4 or 5 in the last year in Coconut Grove!! If we are not able to keep alive a Banana Republic, or Barnes & Nobles, Multi millions Chains Restaurants, movie theaters, convention center, night clubs, bars, etc, etc... how do you want to attract huge brands such as Apple, or tourists, or regional people ???
I'm not surprised about getting bad comments about our restaurant, or food, or service, or the fact that the bathroom are by the end of the corridor...With an average of 2500 covers a week, by math, some customers, got at one moment bad service, or a missed plate, or something, whatever you don't like... By the way, at least, we brought some life in the Grove, jobs, taxes, investment, heart, love, which is, to us, the most important thing we need all right now!
For me, the problem is not about to know if mussels are better at Le bouchon, or George's or at Le P'tit Paris?? just a question of taste, mood, or ambiance. For sure, as every business owners knows, if Coconut Grove continue to decline that fast, we'll have 3 places to eat..not that much..no confusion about where will be the best mussels!! What about the credibility when an anonymous or Bryan talking about our product and says basically "but I've never been there - I heard "! ii could be French humor man…
By reading all theses comments, for some of you (most are anonymous...), I'd love to see you at work or running your businesses, to enjoy the perfect way you are, and passionate about perfection you are...
Thanks Tom for your passion and devotion for the Grove. You don't need to apologize the way you did by email about your articles today. It's done anyway!
Again, most, most important things we have to worry about now.
All my best - Happy holidays :)
Regis Ducatillon
I like Regis and Shriley a lot. I have liked them from the day I met them, they have always been incredible people. I like Eduardo and Rosa from Cita's and Havana Grove, a lot. I liked and loved the staff at these places. I was shocked when Azul, the clothing store at CocoWalk, was gone overnight, I would see Craig, the owner, daily, walking here and there in the Grove.
The purpose of the photo yesterday was to say, "What is going on around here?"
I don't usually allow nasty restaurant comments by anonymous people because everyone has their own taste. I happened to love the mussles at Le P'tit Paris, for instance and would go there for them, while others didn't like them. I feel that the staff goes out of their way, sure you can have a rude person here and there, I have been accused of that daily by people! Restaurants are very stressful places to work and run, keep that in mind.
Anyway, in case you missed it, Regis, the owner of Le P'tit Paris left this comment, I can hear him speaking in his thick accent:
Dear all,
First of all, to stop all rumors, we'll go out of business by January 4th. Up to that date, we'll be open almost each night and all day long on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Even if the business slow down a little bit, the only reason we go out, is for very, very serious health trouble for one of us (Regis or Shirley) confirmed last Friday by doctors. By consequence, we do not have any other choice. We need quite time, not compatible (at all...) with business restaurant.
For 18 months, it has been a pleasure to serve you all. Thanks to our partners (Louis and HL), all our team, managers (Fab & Jean Charles), our Chef, Keith (which is serving food in Coconut Grove for about 20years), Magali (2nd Chef), our main waiters (Laurent, Pablo, Murat, Sergio, Aida, John, the list should be too long...), and all our dishwashers. You all can't imagine how theses guys has been devoted to please you !
Thanks to all our competitors such as John and Kim, Sylvanno, George Eric, Bruno & Christian for their support and advice.
Thanks to "real" local customers such as Barbara and Karl, Carlos and his family, John, David, David & Patricia, Frankie Lopez and his family, commissioner Sarnoff and his lovely wife, Richard, David Pujas, Nanny, Claudia, Laurie from Biscayne Bank, to name a few...and of course all the French crew (Bernard, Nico, Rodolphe, Francois, Sophie, Momo, Fred et Nathalie from Nikita Sunset, Laure and her Kids, Sylvie, etc, etc,... we love you all. Thanks for the good time we shared.
I read a comment about our landlord: there's no reason to blame him. Hakki is a real straight nice guy, a "word" gentleman, helped us a lot during this period. I can't see any link between him, and the fact that the traffic has been divided by 4 or 5 in the last year in Coconut Grove!! If we are not able to keep alive a Banana Republic, or Barnes & Nobles, Multi millions Chains Restaurants, movie theaters, convention center, night clubs, bars, etc, etc... how do you want to attract huge brands such as Apple, or tourists, or regional people ???
I'm not surprised about getting bad comments about our restaurant, or food, or service, or the fact that the bathroom are by the end of the corridor...With an average of 2500 covers a week, by math, some customers, got at one moment bad service, or a missed plate, or something, whatever you don't like... By the way, at least, we brought some life in the Grove, jobs, taxes, investment, heart, love, which is, to us, the most important thing we need all right now!
For me, the problem is not about to know if mussels are better at Le bouchon, or George's or at Le P'tit Paris?? just a question of taste, mood, or ambiance. For sure, as every business owners knows, if Coconut Grove continue to decline that fast, we'll have 3 places to eat..not that much..no confusion about where will be the best mussels!! What about the credibility when an anonymous or Bryan talking about our product and says basically "but I've never been there - I heard "! ii could be French humor man…
By reading all theses comments, for some of you (most are anonymous...), I'd love to see you at work or running your businesses, to enjoy the perfect way you are, and passionate about perfection you are...
Thanks Tom for your passion and devotion for the Grove. You don't need to apologize the way you did by email about your articles today. It's done anyway!
Again, most, most important things we have to worry about now.
All my best - Happy holidays :)
Regis Ducatillon
posted by Tom Falco at 8:00 AM
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17 Comments:
We in the Grove will miss you and wish you well.
Thoughtful, caring, heartfelt. Like I've been saying recently; there are about a dozen or so hateful punks that wait to pounce on anyone or any comment to make some asanine remark, but what can one expect from cowardly anon punks. This economy is affecting the entire world and businesses will come and go accordingly. When you see one of these poor souls post a comment just ignore it.
I'm so sorry to hear about the health issues in your family, Regis. My thoughts and prayers are with you, as I am sure are those of many others in the Grove.
I really feel like you need to get facts before you put stuff like this out. If the rumor mill gets out this could really hurt the biz.
Nothing less would be expected of the Herald, so I think the same should be expected of you. I think this site is a great service and I even appreciate the personal commentary from time to time. But I think this could be very harmful to a business that could in fact already be struggling.
Could you point to the spot where I said they were closed? Other than the questions I asked as to why they were not open on a Monday at noon?
They were closed anonymous, why should Grape apologize? Get a life!
The best for you and your family Regis. Merci pour tout, amuse toi bien. Carlos I.
I think given the previous posts chronicling the demise of businesses throughout the Grove that people naturally believed your question to be a statement of fact. Isn't that after all why you posed the question? To elicit a response?
The acrimony that emanates from this blog and comment thread has got to tone down. It's reflective of the bitter divisiveness in this country and the finger-pointing does nothing to better the situation. Less vitriol, more positive feedback would help restore the spirit of the Grove.
And best wishes/speedy recovery to Regis and the rest of the Le P'tit family.
I agree with JoJo. My gosh even Tavern on the Green in New York is closing. Does anyone even mention the economy - no it is better to divide the Grove and pit everyone against each other if someone has an opinion different than yours.
Mr. Ducatillon sounds like a great guy - I wish him and his crew well.
Regis and Shirley, Thank you for your friendship and all the hard work I know you put into Le P'tit Paris. You are very descent people who invested a lot of money into the Grove and I commend you for that.
We wish both of you nothing but the best in your future endeavors.
John and Kim
Mr Moe's
Agreed Jo Jo, 100%. I never blogged/made comments until one day, about one year ago I discovered the Coconut Grove Grapevine. I read somewhere there are three basic reasons for initiating a blog and I soon learned the reason the Grape was born. It is my opinion the Grape has, firstly, an obligation to himself/the author, the authors intended purpose, namely to stay alive. In that respect the Grape is alive and well. The author of this blog grows and contracts with the flow of those who comment. However, this blog does not slightly represent big money, but in that respect big money is just getting started in reshaping Coconut Grove in their image and when they do the Grape will change if necessary to stay alive. No one could keep up with local events more so than the Grape.
I am sad to learn that La Petit Paris is leaving, they brought a great liveliness to the corner, especially because of the red umbrellas, and because they greatly contributed to the diversity of restaurant choices in the Grove -- it is not every neighborhood that can count of 3 or more places that serves moules & frites!
But most important of all is to focus on the reason they are closing, which is for matters of personal health, and understand that that is the top priority. We offer our best wishes for a swift recovery in the coming year, and thank you for having believed in the potential of Coconut Grove.
FYI the are closed tonight. Never opened for business today. Grape was right again the first time, like with Anokha.
The BID was informed fri or sat of their closing. why they opened last night was a mystery.
Dear Regis and Shirley,
We loved you as much as your food. We wish you the best of luck and hope you have a full recovery. We will miss your great escargot and always your welcoming smiles.
Best of Luck,
Heather, Camille and Tristan
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