The countdown has begun in Quebec restaurants

Restaurant owners are ready to welcome customers for the New Year after two years of difficult pandemic.

“Finally!” Alexandre Casset, marketing director at the Gray Collection, gasped, “The more excited our teams are to find customers, the more we see returning customers.”

Around this time last year, restaurants were forced to close their doors due to the curfew.

Alexandre’s owner, Alain Creton, is still struggling with the decision.

It’s “much better than last year, when they brutally shut us down at 5 p.m., which was horrible,” he says.

December 31 is an important day.

Despite the last-minute cancellation, restaurant Lloyd’s Benjamin David said, “We’re actually in the top 5 of our biggest parties of the year.

“People want to celebrate […] Basically, when you choose a restaurant on December 31st, you want to be sure of your shot!” commented Mr. Cretton.

With festivities in the Old Port of Montreal canceled, some restaurants decided to take over.

By 2023, restaurateurs want to end shortage of labor and phantom reservations.