Montreal's rising rents, along with the increasing price of food and labor, are putting independent restaurants at risk of closure. As costs continue to rise, owners worry that only chains and fast-food eateries will survive, leaving the city's dining scene devoid of its hallmark independent establishments.
Dyan Solomon, who owns three restaurants in the city, said that in the past, Montreal's famously low rents meant chefs could open their own places, and restaurants were able to thrive in part because customers had the disposable income to eat out.
Solomon, who opened her first restaurant, Olive et Gourmando, in Old Montreal 25 years ago, said she's never seen anything like the price increases of the past few years, which have pushed the cost of"literally everything" up between 20 per cent and 30 per cent."Restaurants are struggling, businesses are struggling, but we know our customers are struggling too, so it is a really difficult thing to navigate.
Those loans have to be repaid by Jan. 18 in order for businesses to have some of the loan forgiven, a deadline recently pushed back from Dec. 31. Whibley said that because they opened in a space that had been occupied by a restaurant that closed during the pandemic, they were able to save more than $1 million on renovations. The pair said they’re also attempting to appeal to a broad market, with lower prices and regular specials to keep the place full.
Rojas said he’d like to see the federal government forgive the loans and look at them as a one-time cost necessary to keep businesses afloat and protect jobs. Fixed-price multi-course meals and comfort foods could become more common on Montreal menus, he said, as will shorter menus, as restaurateurs look to maintain tighter control over inventory.
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