Traders who had been promised to customers are disappointed

Catherine Montambeault
The terrace of the Comptoir Lyonnais, which is located near the circuit of the Formula E, is empty a good part of the day on Saturday.

Catherine Montambeault

Saturday, 29 July, 2017 22:48

UPDATE
Saturday, 29 July, 2017 22:48

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While the City had promised a customer plentiful during the weekend, the restaurants located near the circuit of the Formula E were disappointed on Saturday to see their terrace is almost empty.

“We were told : “You will see, during the event, there is going to be full of people !” Then, we decided to open two days continuously, Saturday and Sunday, But for now, this is not really conclusive”, said over a lunch hour-Veronique Gratton, owner of the restaurant Le Comptoir Lyonnais, located on the corner of boulevard René-Lévesque est and the rue Plessis.

Fears based

There are already a few weeks that the downtown merchants were concerned about the arrival of Formula E in Montreal, and their fears were realised on Saturday.

Usually, the citizens of the corner do not pray to come in and take a bite or sip a drink on the terrace of the Comptoir Lyonnais, especially during a sunny Saturday. But this time, Ms. Gratton has had to wait up to 14 h for some customers point to.

A little further on, at The restaurant la Diva, the tables on the terrace were equally unoccupied.

“There is nobody”

“Here, there is nobody, mentioned server Jean-Louis Trudeau. Fortunately, the owner of the restaurant was able to have a tent on the site of the [Formula E], then it sells sandwiches there.”

The fish of the Sea, The day went on as the owners had expected, that is to say, without a client.

“Just now, there has been a movement of crowd in the store, but it was all of the people who were looking for a toilet. I have zero client,” said the director of operations of the trade, François-Xavier Dehédin.

“The festival lasts for two days, but for the people of the district, the brothel lasts three weeks, he added. This is unfortunate. “

On the side of the citizens, the opinions were divided. While many residents of the inner city rejoiced at being able to watch the races from their balcony, other fulminaient seeing that the inconvenience of the event continued to accumulate.

Thierry Zambo, who lives a few metres from the track, on the rue Saint-Antoine, had to install a yellow ribbon in front of him to avoid that passers-by trample completely to the ground.

“It is not against the Formula E, it is against the way it has been done and that the City treated us, he explained. Questions were asked and suggestions were made, but there has been no response.”

Others like

Andre and Francine, a couple residing at the corner of rue Saint-Antoine and Saint-Christophe, had them taken out their camping chairs to enjoy the electric cars that were passing at high speed close to their home.

“We hear just the negative on this event, but we, we like that, said the man. There are little inconveniences of traffic, but this is not serious. It’s nice and it’s festive!”

Tickets for the ePrix against beer

A bar of Ontario street offers beer in exchange for the free tickets that residents have received to attend the Formula E.

This initiative of the Station Ho.st, on Ontario street, is a gesture of solidarity with the citizens affected negatively by the event.

“There are plenty of tickets that were given to the residents in the vicinity of the circuit, but a lot of people don’t know what to do with. Either they are not racing fans, they are angry with the event. Then, we decided to offer them a beer in exchange,” explains the owner, Frédéric Cormier.

By 4 August, the date of the fourth anniversary of the Station Ho.st, customers with a ticket “host” of the ePrix will receive a beer microbrewery.

Photo: Martin Knight

Of the people in our area have expressed their discontent.

Customers cooled

Frédéric Cormier has itself lost a lot of customers because of the arrival of the Formula E.

“With just 19 days notice, we were asked to remove our terrace. Just the day that it was done, I saw at least forty people force it to edge,” he says.

According to him, the prohibition of parking on both sides of the Ontario street on the occasion of the event cools off the customers, but it also prevents suppliers to deliver their merchandise.

“As soon as a truck stops for a delivery, there is a police in the back which forces him to make a move, otherwise he has a ticket,” says Mr. Cormier.

Mr. Cormier said that the Town turns a deaf ear. “It receives no information, it is never heard or listened to, it is just put in front of the accomplished facts,” he said. the ePrix against beer