While the government is reluctant to reopen restaurant dining rooms on January 31 or February 8, restaurateur Vianney Godbout believes there is no question of waiting another week.
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The date of February 8 is currently being considered by Quebec, in order to allow restaurants to receive financial assistance for a month since they would be closed for at least seven days in February.
“With 13 months of closure over two years, I find it completely absurd that we are having this debate. Open to us as soon as possible and find a way that we can still have financial assistance for the following month, ”claimed Vianney Godbout, co-owner of the restaurant Succeda, on the airwaves of LCN.
The latter believes that the closures of the past two years have undermined the mental health of workers in the restaurant sector. This situation has also increased the problem of labor shortages in the area, believes Mr. Godbout.
“We lost a lot of employees who we thought we would keep for a very long time because they reoriented themselves to create a little security,” says the restaurateur.
Vianney Godbout wants a better line of communication with the government in order to remain open if Quebec were to be hit by a new wave of COVID-19. He regrets that with each closure, the restaurateurs were not consulted and were notified at the last minute.
“We want to be corporate citizen donations. I think restaurants are not places where there have been a lot of outbreaks, ”says the restaurateur.
“I find it a bit of a shame that we are always the scapegoats,” he adds.
Vianney Godbout therefore hopes that the date of January 31 will be chosen by the government, in order to allow restaurants to be ready for the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.
To see the full interview, watch the video above.