Jo's burgers being tested in Nîmes: the new challenge of Sébastien Chabal and Joannes Richard

Sébastien Chabal, en rodage chez Simone à Nîmes. Midi Libre – Noa Roche

L’ancien rugbyman Sébastien Chabal s’est associé au champion du monde de burger Joannes Richard pour fonder "Les burgers de Jo". Avant le lancement, une journée d’essai a eu lieu à Nîmes, chez Simone le vendredi 2 août dernier.

It is well known that the world of oval ball is unifying. But it also allows for great encounters and bridges to worlds that are just waiting to be connected. Sébastien Chabal and Joannes Richard met in 2023, and now they are already partners and ready to embark on a new adventure. But how did the paths of a former French XV player and the 2023 burger world champion from Gard cross??

“Before leaving for Dallas and becoming world champion, Joannes wanted his team to arrive with the same jerseys, as is done in sports. He approached Tony Mathis, my partner with whom he played rugby, and so we sponsored him with our brand. We have kept in touch since “, remembers Sébastien Chabal. The one nicknamed Attila or Caveman, who describes himself as “gourmet and gourmand” fell under the spell of the creations of his colleague from Nîmes.

“Les burgers de JO”, an innovative concept

Having become an entrepreneur, Sébastien Chabal has teamed up with Joannes Richard to create Les burgers de Jo. The concept, while seemingly simple, is nonetheless innovative. “Rather than competing with restaurateurs, a wonderful profession, we have created a high-end burger concept to work with them. Once or twice a month, we will go to a city, to the restaurant of one of our companions to partner around our range of burgers. Restaurateurs can apply on our site, there will be one companion restaurant per city. Our goal is to have a thousand companions by the end of the year, to allow any consumer to have a companion near them.” Develops the former third line.

In Nîmes, it is therefore the Simone restaurant that is the companion of Jo's burgers. After an initial test in Lyon in June, it was in the Gard that the second trial took place, on Friday August 2 before the launch in January 2025. And the customers were there, for the lunch and dinner service. “The customers seem happy, even if we have the ambition to improve before January! Jo spent almost all his time in the kitchen, with the chefs“, rejoices Sébastien Chabal, before being honked at by a car, very happy to cross paths with one of these legends of the oval ball. While he won't need to wear cleats or even tackle opponents, his collaboration with Nîmes' Joannes Richard seems to excite him just as much.