COVID-19: supportive customers for restaurateurs

Restaurant owners in the Quebec City region say they are touched by the solidarity of their customers who, despite the closure of the dining rooms, keep them busy with take-out meals.

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Already weakened by the first closure of dining rooms in March, several restaurateurs were outraged at the recent announcement of a second closure, in effect since 1^er last October. However, their customers seem more motivated than ever to support them in this ordeal, which could well stretch beyond October 28.

“For the moment, the craze is there, we have a good capital of sympathy”, launches Pascal Bussière, co-owner of the restaurant Battuto. He believes that the response from his customers is “beautiful” and that there is a lot of solidarity.

“The customers are there for us”, he continues, adding that many of them leave not only with a meal, but also with “a good bottle of wine”.

“Solidarity movement”

“They did it in the spring as well, but we feel that they want to encourage us even more and they keep an attractive budget to do it,” he argues.

Same story in Montego, on avenue Maguire.

“Things are going very well, we have a great movement of solidarity,” says Charles-Antoine Authier, co-owner of the restaurant.

“I thought it would be less strong, because there is an announced end date, but no, we have a nice answer. And this is a long weekend, so we have a lot of take-out requests, ”he is delighted.

At La Taverna Grecque le Mezzé, customers are also present. However, the owner, Andreas Papadeas, notices that he has to work a little more than the first lockdown.

“It’s not like April,” he argues. But to date, it is very good. You have to stimulate a lot more than the first time, but the customers are there. ”

Eat well, not complicated

At Morena, a business that is both a grocery store, a restaurant and a catering service, it is said that ready-to-eat is a must in this period of pandemic.

“We closed our dining room and adapted our ready-to-eat offer. We make things easier and more user-friendly and there is a possibility of delivering. But people like to come to see and choose, ”says owner Ariana Morales.

She also feels good support from her customers.

“People buy more things to cook and they don’t want it to be complicated,” she observes.