Quebec restaurateurs are angry at having to close their dining room for the umpteenth time and to have been warned at midnight of one of their highest paying days of the year.
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“It’s insulting to us,” thinks Peter Sergakis, owner of several restaurants, who speaks of a “total disaster” for the industry in Quebec. “Our restaurants were safe places. No one is allowed in who is unvaccinated. “
For Martin Vézina, director of public and government affairs for the Association Restauration Québec, this is the “worst case scenario” for restaurants in the current context.
“We are very disappointed. We saw alternative solutions such as closing us on January 31 and January 1 or limiting to one bubble per table. To date, we are the only province that does so and even in European countries, we have not closed all the dining rooms. “
Several restaurateurs have also seen the decision to close the dining rooms at midnight on December 31 as an added insult to injury. While the rise in cases has been evident for several days, they are being asked to close their dining room on New Year’s Eve, one of the most prolific days of the year.
“At one point, we lost 80% of our staff. We were just starting to get our heads out of the water. To be closed on December 31 at midnight is the worst thing that could happen, ”laments Fabio Monti, owner of the Atelier and Ophélia in Quebec.
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Fabio Monti, owner of Atelier and Ophélia in Quebec City, and Peter Sergakis, owner of several restaurants, including the Sports Station in Montreal, are furious at the Legault government’s decision.
“I can not imagine that we waited until the last minute before making this decision,” he plague.
Several restaurateurs were restricted in their food and drink orders last week when rumors wanted Prime Minister Legault to announce their closure on December 22. But since the restrictions were ultimately minimal, they “reopened the valves”, making sure to stay open at least for the holiday season.
“It doesn’t make sense how disrespectful it is. It has been asked several times in the past to notify us a few days in advance. Our refrigerators are packed for tomorrow! Exclaims Yannick Parent, owner of a few restaurants in Quebec, including Bello Ristorante and Don Vegan.
For Martin Vézina, this closure will particularly hurt the reputation of the restaurant industry and will further chill the arrival of new workers.
“It shows all the instability of the industry and the lack of predictability,” he says.
“We are in a labor shortage and we strongly believe that we will still lose many of our jobs in other economic sectors and that this will make our reopening very difficult. “
The ARQ expects financial assistance from the government to compensate for the loss of food and the closing of the dining rooms.
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