Le Bistro du Golf. This is the name of the restaurant at Golf de Clervaux, which has just reopened after several years of closure. Since 2017, the Excellence Group, which had previously been in charge of the operation, had not been offering a restaurant on the site, but only hotel services. Since 29 April, a new company has been registered with the Registre du Commerce, managed by golf director Cindy Bureau, to breathe new life into the establishment. “We took up this challenge rather unexpectedly and spontaneously. We had decided to put an end to the operation by the Excellence Group, but the successor withdrew. So we decided to take over the reins ourselves,” explains the manager.
While she does not wish to criticise the management style of her predecessors, Bureau seems to have greater ambitions for this venue located on the golf course. “We want this place to become a real clubhouse again. In recent years, people stopped coming because there was no service. Only the hotel, Le Golf & Country Hotel, with its 22 rooms, welcomed customers, but if they wanted to eat or have a drink, they had to travel three kilometres from here,” she recalls.
The Bistro employs four people in the kitchen and the same number in the bar-restaurant area. Photo: Golf de Clervaux
A central place, more family-friendly and convivial, open to golfers but also to tourists passing through. This is how the manager defines the new concept she wants to introduce. It’s a concept that’s already well under way, with the bar-restaurant now known as Le Bistro du Golf having already reopened its doors. “We’re striking while the iron is hot. For us, it’s very important for this place to come back to life,” says Bureau, for whom the main objective is to relaunch the business and ensure that the place is clearly identified by customers. “We don’t just want to target golfers. We’re in a part of Luxembourg that has a lot of appeal, and we’re also a starting point for a lot of walks. We want to take a ‘slow tourism’ approach,” she adds.
In terms of catering, the team is focusing on regional gastronomy (on the scale of the Greater Region), using as many local products as possible, and offering lunch and dinner services. For those with a small appetite, a range of snacks is also available in the afternoons. “We favour local producers who offer quality products. Organic if possible, but what counts for us is the producer’s approach rather than the label itself. We change the menu every week, keeping certain dishes and adding new ones,” explains Bureau. The interior has been renovated to create a warm and cosy atmosphere, and the restaurant also boasts a large terrace overlooking the golf course.
The restaurant has been renovated to create a cosy atmosphere. Photo: Golf de Clervaux
“We’re starting from less than zero and we’re still aiming to do something good, to be able to operate properly and keep our heads above water,” says Bureau. In fact, the managers have had to make major investments, costing hundreds of thousands of euros, in order to bring the restaurant up to standard on the one hand, but also to buy back its right to operate on the other.
In total, around fifteen people work on the site, including four in the kitchen, four in the bar/restaurant area, one at reception, two at the golf reception and six on the golf course. The 40-hectare golf course features a sporting course and is treated without pesticides. “We try to work as sustainably as possible at every level,” concludes Bureau.
This article was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.