White walls, drawn portraits of the players who contributed to the history of the Toulouse Stadium hung on the wall, the place is to the glory of the Rouge et Noir. And it is no coincidence that Didier Lacroix, president of Stade Toulouse, met this Thursday, December 21 at the Grand Café du Stade, open for a short week in the Pink City, for an informal press point to discuss club news almost halfway through the season.
Located on the boulevards, near Jean-Jaurès, this building is indeed steeped in history. “It housed an institution, the Brasserie du Coq d’Or. And, very close to there, the head office of Stade Toulouse was located, in the 1970s, under the presidency of André Brouat,” recalls the current president. “A lot of things were happening here even though the headquarters was officially at 12, boulevard Carnot. »
By joining forces with the company Tour de Table, which manages the operation of the restaurant, Stade Toulouse wishes to make the Grand Café du Stade “a modern sports café”, according to Didier Lacroix. Although it already has the Brasserie du Stade, in Ernest-Wallon and ErneST, the Bistrot du Golf, in the heart of the Garonne golf course, the twenty-two-time French champion club wanted to invest a little more in the city center .
“This formula, more sports-oriented, is added to the store,” he explains. Here, we are going to give way to sports news by broadcasting many disciplines. » The portraits of the players who had the joy of lifting the Brennus or playing more than 100 matches in red and black will also have to tighten up to make room for more television screens.
The establishment, managed by Loïc Comand and Guillaume Morel, offers a brasserie menu at lunchtime and tapas in the evening, with service until 2 a.m. (3 a.m. on Saturdays). Open 7 days a week, it intends to attract sports fans from Toulouse around the essential local cuisine. A concept that the players and all the employees of the Toulouse Stadium were able to test the other Thursday during the traditional president’s meal.
“Lovers of the Stadium, rugby and sport in general”
“We are extremely proud to have been able to combine all the necessary means to create a place which brings together lovers of the Toulouse Stadium, rugby and sport in general, in the heart of Toulouse. Our club is returning to the city center and we can’t wait for the people of Toulouse to take ownership of this new place of life, imbued with a spirit of conviviality, epicureanism and passion”, assures Didier Lacroix, who does not rule out invest the side alleys by teaming up with the nearby Mama Shelter hotel to offer giant screens during major events.
