Construction in Little Burgundy will kill terrasse season, restaurant owners say

Restaurant owners on Notre-Dame Street West in Little Burgundy say they feel blindsided after finding out 12 weeks of construction will begin on the street in mid-April, just as restrictions are lifting after the pandemic hit the industry hard.

The construction is being done to fix the street's water main, and will happen in between Vinet Street and Atwater Street. 

Hanhak Kim has only had his restaurant open since 2019, and said this would have been his first spring serving at full capacity if it was not for the construction.

"For us it's like another wave," the owner of Bar Otto said. 

He said the work should be put off instead of being scheduled during their peak terrasse season.  

The construction is also happening at a time of the year when more tourists come to the city for the Grand Prix held in June. 

"No one is going to enjoy having dinner with some wine, sake with a bulldozer outside," Kim said. "It drives people away."

He said low sales could unfortunately result in him having to lay some people off. 

The borough's mayor Benoit Dorais says that merchants were consulted before the construction was scheduled.

The work was scheduled for mid-April so that terrasses would only be closed for six weeks, the borough said. They hope one lane can stay open to cars.

The borough's mayor also said the water main on the street needs to be replaced urgently, and that work on it has been put off since 2019.

The street had to close after the water main broke on Nov. 3, depriving people in the area of drinking water for over 48 hours, he said in a statement on his Facebook page.

Some restaurant owners are questioning why the work couldn't have been done during the pandemic. 

"It's extremely disappointing for all of us," said Massimo Lecas, the co-owner of Fiorellino snack bar.

"Obviously in the restaurant industry we've had a rough two years and to hear that this is happening now in our summer when we're finally out."

Mask mandates will also no longer be required as of April 15, and he was initially hoping things could return to normal. 

"All the construction is going to bring a lot of noise to the neighbourhood, and businesses won't be able to bank on what makes their money for the summer," Emcie Turneck, a resident in the area who used to work in the industry. 

"I think it's going to really negatively impact the neigbourhood."