No more plexiglass, reduced capacity and, above all, the presentation of the vaccine passport. Restaurants and bars are getting closer to a return to normal with the lifting of several health measures on Saturday. The Press gathered feedback from customers and owners.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
The vaccination passport is no longer required in restaurants and bars. The measure, introduced last September, was withdrawn on Saturday in all public places, as was the reduction in reception capacity and reduced hours. Dancing and karaoke are also back. Only wearing a face covering remains compulsory at all times, except for eating and drinking.
At the Thai counter Mae Sri, rue Saint-Denis, an enticing smell welcomes customers. The withdrawal of the vaccine passport is “good news”, believes assistant manager Thomas Janton. ” It was good. It allowed us to control the passages a little bit and to limit the groupings, ”he says between two table services. But the operation took time. And in a busy restaurant, every second counts.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Thomas Janton, assistant manager of the Mae Sri Thai counter
Necessarily, [la gestion du passeport vaccinal] had an impact on our service.
Thomas Janton, assistant manager of the Mae Sri Thai counter
A few doors away, the Barranco restaurant was gearing up for a busy evening. The Plexiglas had been removed, tables had been added. Hope is reborn. “We were really looking forward to it,” says manager Eli Rubio-Ramos.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Eli Rubio-Ramos, Barranco restaurant manager
The manager is already planning the summer season. Last step: the end of the wearing of face coverings in all public places, except in public transport, “scheduled no later than mid-April” by Quebec.
Between two bites of a steaming soup, Iana Jimenez welcomed the lifting of the vaccine passport.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Iana Jimenez, client met in a restaurant on Saturday
For me, the pandemic is over.
Iana Jimenez, client met in a restaurant on Saturday
An opinion that is not shared by Geneviève, seated at the Greek restaurant Ouzeri. “I don’t have much faith in solidarity and concern for the common good of the population in general,” said the young woman, who did not wish to give her surname.
At midnight one, Saturday, the Cur had reopened its dance floor. “It went very well,” reports Benoit Lacaille, general manager.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Benoit Lacaille, general manager of the Clébard resto-bar
The restaurant-bar can now close at its usual hours. But customers have lost the habit of keeping watch! “It wasn’t crazy until 3 a.m. You see that people have a different rhythm,” he remarks. He’s not too worried about it: the night owls will be back, he thinks. “There is like a liberation, an effervescence. »