Closing of the dining rooms | Restaurant owners roll up their sleeves

In the face of adversity, most restaurateurs who Press spoke decided once again to roll up their sleeves in order to offer good take out meals to their customers. The next few months will again be strewn with obstacles for this industry, which is more than ever at the end of its rope. State of play.

Iris Gagnon-Paradis
Press

This week, a Facebook souvenir – a photo of braised poultry and cabbage with caraway – reminded Simon Mathys that a year ago, to the day, he was not only opening his restaurant, but also doing it in formula. to take away. The chef made the bet to open Mastard while the dining rooms were closed.

Twelve months later, it’s a spirited man we have on the phone. He did take a few weeks off for the holidays, but never considered extending the closure of his restaurant. Mastard will be back on January 12 with its three-course menu to be reheated at home.

Optimistic despite everything? ” It must ! If we get discouraged there, it’s not over, and we don’t know how long it will last any longer. We want our team to work, ”explains the chef.

Not naively hoping for a comeback “as before” and looking to the future is the recipe that allowed Marc-André Royal, at the helm of the three branches of La Bête à pain and the restaurant Le Saint-Urbain, to ensure no only survival, but also the growth of his business over the past two years.

“Our game plan is not changing; We organized ourselves two years ago to deal with the pandemic until it ended. Our model is working extremely well and has taken us elsewhere, with an increase in sales for two years, ”says the restaurateur, who says government programs have really helped his businesses cope with the new reality.

La Bête à pain branches in Laval, Ahuntsic and Griffintown will reopen as scheduled this Monday. Guests can stock up on breads, sandwiches, prepared meals, daily hot dishes, groceries and privately imported wines. “People have really gotten used to buying a bottle with their bread,” notes Mr. Royal.

Extremely motivated and proactive since the start of the pandemic, the entrepreneur refuses to depress, if only for the hundred people who work for him. “Sometimes I worry so much for my employees,” he says, referring to the very precarious situation that restaurant workers are going through.

To be a “boss who complains”, very little for him. Rather, he sees himself as a captain who must lead his team to their destination. “My job is to cringe the world, to listen to the ideas of my employees. We’re all in the same boat. ”

“Heartbreaking”

Martin Juneau and his partner Louis-Philippe Breton were among the first restaurateurs to embark on the “take out” adventure in March 2020. “The most difficult thing is playing this kind of yo-yo. It’s not the same business, having a restaurant or a takeout counter ”, assures the restaurateur who recently celebrated the 10 years of Pastaga.

With the “heartbreaking” closure of restaurants, announced the day before December 31, the team reduced losses by offering their customers festive New Year’s Eve boxes that sold very well. “For events, like Valentine’s Day, it’s never a problem. The difficulty is having this type of support on a daily basis. ”

Pastaga once again offers a comforting take-out menu – not to mention the wine merchant side, which keeps your head a little above water – but motivation is waning. “We are always on the verge of not having the energy necessary to start all this again, but we have to pay rent! So we go back to the takeout, but for how long? launches the chef, who has many questions about his future and that of his restaurant. We’ll see what 2022 has in store for us, but whatever happens, having lasted a decade is a nasty, beautiful accomplishment. ”

Open or stay closed?

Co-owner of Stella Pizzeria, Brasserie Bernard and Indian restaurant Le 409, Nathalie Côté found herself, one beautiful Tuesday in December, with no employee to work at the establishment on rue Bernard, courtesy of the new variant. “It was a real disaster, I had a lump in my stomach. I was super optimistic from the start, I kept the morale of the troops high, but there, humanly, it was no longer possible. We closed everything on December 22. ”

During our interview, she was preparing with part of her “super motivated” team the reopening of the two branches of Stella, which now offers, seven days a week, its delicious pizzas, fresh pasta and a few other dishes that take well. . The other two restaurants will remain closed until further notice.

“We did it in the past with the brewery, especially for the morale of our employees, but it’s so organized and complex to offer this type of product in takeout. As for the 409, it would be worth it if we were in a neighborhood other than Old Montreal. We tried last year, but we were losing money every day. ”

Hardly anyone in the restaurant business believes in the quick reopening of dining rooms. Despite this feeling of being in the movie Groundhog day, many will resume offering take-out menus in the coming weeks, and will once again demonstrate resilience and creativity. Bar Bara, in Saint-Henri, is one of them with its products, such as coffee or fresh pasta (depending on the number of kilometers traveled), offered free of charge to people who will take a walk to order on site. What motivates you to leave the house!