The major water main break that occurred in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu earlier this week worried local restaurateurs and traders after they received orders to suspend their operations on Wednesday afternoon.
At Alexandre Dubé’s microphone, Steve Trépanier, owner of Steve Steakhouse, said that it was the police who intervened after lunch.
“People were able to finish their food, but we could no longer receive customers and had to close for the evening,” he explained.
The Johannes branch had to cancel almost 200 reservations over the course of the evening, a loss of around $15,000.
Speaking on QUB radio, he added that he was not the only one who had found himself in this situation. Almost all restaurants in the area were forced to close for business for the rest of the day. This was particularly the case at Resto Belgo.
The canteen’s assistant manager, Émilie Boissonneault, mentioned that a customer from Beloeil was faced with a locked door when she arrived there.
Listen to the microphone from Steve Trépanier, owner of Steve Steakhouse in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Émilie Boissonneault, assistant manager of Resto Belgo by Alexandre Dubé via QUB radio :
The most important open chains
Despite the city’s order, some restaurants remained open. This was particularly true of A&W and McDonald’s, both on Boulevard du Séminaire in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Decision that the owner of Steve Steakhouse described as “special.”
For his part. Ms. Boissoneault admitted to being offended at the time “while we, the little ones, the locals, were all closed.”
Johannine Mayor Andrée Bouchard thanked the restaurateurs for the closure.
“For me it is a demonstration of solidarity towards the people who did not have water and who needed it,” she said in an interview with Alexandre Dubé.
The restaurants were able to reopen on Thursday. However, they have to arm themselves with water jugs to continue their operations.