‘It’s time’: Montreal bar, restaurant owners want to sell alcohol past midnight

MONTREAL (CityNews) — Montreal bar owners and restaurateurs are calling on the Quebec government to allow the sale of alcohol after midnight as COVID-19 cases continue to remain stable.

One of the COVID health restrictions imposed by the province on bars and restaurants is the inability to sell any alcohol past midnight. Establishments must close at 2 a.m.

Quebec’s COVID-19 regulations had previously included an 11 p.m. last call and a requirement that all patrons be out by midnight.

“It’s time,” said Paul Desbaillets, co-owner of the Burgundy Lion Group and a member of the Nouvelle Association des Bars du Quebec (NABQ). “For everything else to be opening up, I think it’s time.

“For businesses that are in big trouble that need that revenue and those hours, I think it’s time to get going.”

Added Ziggy Eichenbaum, owner of Ziggy’s Pub in downtown Montreal: “It’s like our second life is after midnight until 2-3 in the morning.”

Desbaillets says he has also noticed a trend of overconsumption with the current rules.

“People are grabbing all their drinks as fast as they can at the last call instead of sitting around drinking in order to meet that time,” he said.

For Eichenbaum, it’s also a way the government can get people vaccinated.

“They want to help the vaccination and all that … at midnight tell us, ‘okay you’re not vaccinated I’m not serving you. You’re vaccinated, I’m serving you.’ It’s a win-win situation for bars restaurants and the government.”

CityNews spoke to several Montrealers who all felt bars should be permitted to sell alcohol past midnight.

“If they’re open during the day and selling alcohol during the day, then I think we should trust that people are going to do the right thing after midnight,” said one. “Businesses have suffered enough and so right now it’s important to get as much revenue in their hands as possible.”

Added another: “People trying to pack it all into a few hours is not the best way to do things and the longer that things are open as well that people are spread out over longer hours, I think it’s safer that way to some extent.”

And a third: “I don’t think there’s any harm that can come from that. Again, if the other restrictions are still being kept in place, I know with outdoor patios that also changes things a bit, so if people are outdoors, maybe the sale of alcohol can continue after midnight. Especially if people are vaccinated, that’s another thing to have some sort of passport so store owners know who they’re serving too.”