Exasperated by the failures of the SAQ

Photo Dominic Scali
Adam Harvey is the owner of the O Dockside Bistro, in the Old Port of Montreal. It is expected that the missed delivery last the entire summer, so that its establishment is only open during the summer season.

Dominique Scali

Tuesday, 11 July, 2017 20:34

UPDATE
Tuesday, 11 July, 2017 20:34

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Owners of bars and restaurants in montreal are no longer able to misfires delivery of the SAQ, which obliges them to go get themselves crates of alcohol in the branch for almost a month, in the middle of the season of the terraces.

“This is the worst time of year for such a kerfuffle,” says Adam Harvey, owner of the O Dock Bistro, located in Old Montreal.

It is one of hundreds of restaurateurs affected by the glitches it of the SAQ. Many deliveries may not be made by the trucks of the company, forcing merchants to go to queue in a branch, and to transport themselves to their orders.

“All that I have, it is a four-door car. I can’t get 20 crates of alcohol in there, “says Mr Harvey, who also lost” a tremendous amount of time ” each week to replenish the stocks.

He must often leave the bistro to go and buy the bottles missing and thus abandon his staff.

“If there is a traffic additional, I’m not there. It was already a few negative opinions on Google about the speed of service, ” he says.

Lost day

At the bar The necessary evil, the direction loses each week a full day to manage the situation.

“This is a day when usually it takes care of things administrative, do business development. Instead, I have to take care to pick up the alcohol, ” sighed the co-owner Graham Warner.

All the more that the kerfuffle leads to stock-outs. Several merchants have told us they have had to change their menu because the tablets of their branch were empty of products, yet the classics, like gin or whisky.

“In restoration, it is necessary that it rolls. This is just a waste of time and niaisage for nothing, ” said Allan Barilla, which purchases approximately 50 000 $ of alcohol per week for four institutions it manages, including the tapas bar, Santos.

In the dark

During this time, the restaurateurs say they have no idea as to when the situation will be resolved.

“Communication is bad “, says Fabien Lacaille, co-owner of several establishments. He has no idea of the reason for which he always receives his deliveries for the bar Bily Kun, but not for his other bars.

“I expect that it would stay like this all summer “, resigns himself Adam Harvey. However, the O Dockside Bistro is only open from may to September.

The SAQ says that two-thirds of merchants currently receive delivery service and ensures that all will be returned in the order ” in the coming weeks “, says Linda Bouchard. “The situation has already improved by 40% compared to two weeks ago […] It was never neglected this client and you really understand their requirements. There is no ill-will. It’s a flaw that we are trying to fill “due to the change of computer system,” she explains.

What they said

“[SAQ], they don’t care. There was no help. The message is : démerdez-vous. ”

-Thomas Dubrana, The gray Sisters

“We pay quite expensive in taxes per year. In addition, as a resto, you pay more expensive. ”

-Allan Barilla, Santos

“The director-general must move himself to pay with his credit card [to the branch]. The other day, he said : what is it, I’m a delivery man now ? ”

-Jacques Buchez, Intercontinental Hotel

“I don’t understand why the heads of the SAQ has decided to make the change it in the summer rather than in February, when it is the low season. ”

-Graham Warner, The necessary Evil

“We try to substitute one product to another, but when you have to make a steak with mushrooms, and all that thou hast, and it is onions, it’s not the same. ”

-Charles Landry, Tavern Midway

“We learn that there will be no command because the command does not return. If it falls on a weekend, people are taken without vodka, no gin. ”

-Fabien Lacaille, Bily Kun