A Montreal bar owner is scratching his head over a decision to block the side walk in front of his bar on St Denis street, only to put a temporary beer tent right in front. The street, closed since Friday, hosted a free event for Nuit Blanche bringing thousands of people to the area.
“They did it last year which went very well, everyone had a good time,” said Turbo Haüs bar owner Sergio Da Silva. “But this year they decided that they were going to get a liqour license and a beer tent,” he added.
Da Silva said he has no issues with fun events that bring people to the area, but is wondering why organizers set up temporary bars right in front of his establishment.
“Despite the street having a 30 per cent occupancy rate, they thought the best idea was to put their bar in front of my bar,” adding it reduced the visbility of his bar on the busiest night. “It also reduced the ability for people to get down the street. Everything was kind of bottlenecked and at the end of the day we had made about $3500 less than last year.”
In a statement to Global News the Latin Quarter Merchant’s Association said in part initiatives were put in place to increase the visibility of the business.
“Since the start of the year, merchants in the Latin Quarter have been regularly informed, notably highlighting the sale of alcohol on the street. Logistical and security constraints limit the possibilities of the location of a temporary bar.” But Da Silva said there could have been more collaboration suggesting businesses could have been allowed to sell their own alcohol on the street. For Da Silva, the irony is he has to pay the merchant’s association.
“This thing that you did, made me not be able to make enough money to pay your dues,” said Da Silva.
The event’s organizer APIK did not want to comment and directed Global News to the merchant’s association.
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