Grand Prix postponement deals big blow to eateries
The decision to postpone the Canadian Grand Prix represents a major financial blow to Montreal restaurants and bars, but Alain Creton said what he will miss the most is the hugs.
“We see the same people every year at the Grand Prix, people from Italy, France, Germany, Europeans who love to hug each other and that won’t be happening,” said Creton, the owner of Chez Alexandre, the Peel St. brasserie that has been party central for the annual Formula One race. “With this virus, you can’t touch, can’t shake hands. That’s what hurts me the most, not being able to hug people who have become my friends.”
The coronavirus crisis has wreaked havoc with the hospitality industry. Restaurants, with the exception of those offering takeout and deliveries, and bars have been closed for more than three weeks. The inevitable decision to postpone the F1 race scheduled for June 12-14 on Île Notre Dame — organizers are hoping the race can be run in September — means the hospitality industry has lost its most lucrative week.
Stretches of Peel and Crescent streets are closed to traffic during Grand Prix week and there are lineups at popular restaurants.
“People come from all over the world and they aren’t afraid to spend money,” said Ziggy Eichenbaum, owner of Ziggy’s Pub on Crescent St. “There are restaurants that do 30 per cent of their annual business in that one week and this will be the nail in the coffin for some businesses. I’ll be okay because I have a small place and I can negotiate with my landlord to defer some of my rent until we open again, but there are places that have high overhead and they’re paying $30,000 to $40,000 a month in rent.
“Three guys from France just opened an Australian bar next to me and they were in business for a week before they had to close, and I think they went back to France,” said Eichenbaum. “You’ll see more of that. There will be restaurants that hand over their keys to the landlord and disappear.
“When restaurants do open their
doors, you don’t know what kind of restrictions will be in place on social distancing,” added Eichenbaum. “You could have a place with 30 tables and you can only use five or 10 of them.”
Creton, who said the loss of the Grand Prix will cost him $150,000 in profit, isn’t worried about going out of business, but he is concerned about some of his colleagues.
“We’ve been in business for 43 years and we’ll be okay, but there are other restaurants who have been around for two or three years and they might have problems,” said Creton. “And it will be a problem for nightclubs. Will people go back to clubs? As it is, you know there are clubs that are popular and then something else comes along.”
Bill Hurley, the owner of Hurley’s Irish Pub on Crescent St.,
has already lost his most profitable week. Hurley’s is the epicentre of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and he had to close his doors on March 16.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said of the provincewide lockdown. “We just have to be patient and wait it out. Our grandparents got through the Spanish flu 100 years ago and we’ll get through this.”
Hurley said the Grand Prix weekend meant more to him than a run on Guinness and Jameson shots.
“It was a sign that summer was here,” said Hurley. “We were getting ready with new furniture and awnings on our terrasses. The chairs and the awnings will be up, but it doesn’t look like we’ll have any customers.”