High-profile restaurateurs take the initiative
Some of the city’s top eateries to shut down indefinitely in response to pandemic risk
Some of Montreal’s top restaurants have announced the indefinite shutdown of their operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Joe Beef group of restaurants, Nora Gray, Elena, Vin Mon Lapin, Beba, Provisions, Tavern on the Square, Garde Manger, Bremner and many more announced this weekend they would shutter their establishments until further notice, although some will offer takeout.
Many of the closings preceded Premier François Legault’s announcement Sunday afternoon that public spaces including bars, gyms and movie theatres would close and that restaurants should serve only half their usual clientele, seating customers at every second table.
Joe Beef’s David Mcmillan, one of Montreal’s highest profile restaurateurs, explained his motivation.
“Is this common sense? In my opinion, yes,” he said. “Forget about the money. Am I comfortable in this dining room, standing here, as a leader, telling people to get to work? No, I am not.”
Ari Schor, who owns Beba in Verdun with his brother Pablo, was one of the first to make the call after an unnerving service Friday night.
“We had amped up our sanitization all week and on Friday we had a great night, considering everything, but nobody felt safe,” Schor said. “I was working the door with a bottle of hand sanitizer and wiping down the door handle after each customer walked in, my busboy was constantly disinfecting the washroom, but none of the staff was at ease.”
Schor has a new baby at home and couldn’t help feeling he was not only putting his staff and customers at risk, but also his own family.
Those sentiments were echoed by Vanya Filipovic, who owns Vin Mon Lapin with her husband and chef, Marc-olivier Frappier.
“The whole week was slowing down and then on Friday we were slammed (full of people),” Filipovic said.
“That really freaked me out, considering everything that was announced that day. We’ve always been a refuge for people, but this is no longer an option.”
Vin Mon Lapin closed Saturday night until further notice.
Restaurant owners like Filipovic and Ryan Gray, who co-owns Nora Gray and Elena, have been helping staff apply for employment insurance, which has been fast-tracked by the government. While Nora Gray is completely closed, some staff at Elena will remain working on phoned-in takeout orders, with a menu posted on their Instagram account, including pizza, salads, freshly baked bread and coffee.
Beba is offering a takeout version of its menu, with updates on Instagram, but is operating on a day-to-day basis.
“Emotionally and ethically, you really have to follow your gut,” Schor said. “We all have to pay our rent and pay our mortgages, but we also have to keep each other safe.”
Mcmillan is on the same page. “I have a financial ball in my stomach, but I feel at peace with my decision,” he said.
“I still have financial worries now, but that’s 50-per-cent less worse than I felt watching 100 people come through my restaurant on Saturday night.”
Gray said he slept better the night he decided to shut down operations. For him and Filipovic, who have close ties with restaurant owners and winemakers in Italy and throughout Europe, the message from abroad was clear: Act now — don’t do what we did.
Mcmillan says he hopes the proactivity of restaurateurs will be reciprocated.
“We’re doing the right thing, but will big companies like Bell, Énergir and Hydro- Québec also follow suit?” he said.
“Because that’s what’s going to ruin small businesses. We’re writing off a month, but will they do it, too?”