Brasserie T! announces its immediate closure, resulting in the layoff of 130 people.
The co-owners, chef Normand Laprise and Christine Lamarche, made the announcement on Wednesday, citing operating costs, the negative effect of inflation and staff turnover.
Brasserie T! had several addresses, in the Mile-End / Parc-Extension district of Montreal, in Sainte-Thérèse and in Brossard, at the Comptoir-Épicerie on avenue Beaumont in Montreal, and at Burger T! from the Time Out Market in Montreal.
Shareholders are already looking for professionals in this field willing to acquire the establishments concerned and hire current employees, we can read in a press release. The workers were informed of the news on Wednesday morning, it is said, and the group says it wants to help them find positions in catering.
The Toqué! restaurant, the flagship of the group led by Normand Laprise, remains in operation and will open on January 10 after the holiday break.
According to Mr. Laprise, chef and co-founder of the group, Brasserie T! “worked well” and its ridership was “good”, but the pandemic occurred at the worst time in the network’s development. The expansion plan launched in 2019 included a production kitchen and the opening of five Brasserie T! restaurants, he underlines in the press release, saying he made the decision to close “with regret and as a very last resort”.
“The operating costs of our production kitchen, located in Beaumont, were too high to supply only three branches. So our operations were loss-making. Without the pandemic, development would already be over,” he maintains.
Regarding inflation, he cites the increase in the cost of raw materials, construction and wages.
Mr. Laprise and M.me Lamarche say they want to ensure the sustainability of Toqué!, “which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023”.
“Even if the situation of Brasserie T! has financially weakened their group, the duo hopes to quickly stabilize its condition over the coming months,” we can read in the press release.