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Some upcoming Montreal road construction couldn’t come at a worse time for one local business.
Café Vito, at the corner of Villeray Street and Casgrain Avenue, is a popular spot for FIFA World Cup watch parties, drawing hundreds of patrons to its big screens and seating on its outdoor terrace.
But co-owner Vito Azzue says upcoming roadwork to replace lead water-service lines under Casgrain Avenue is threatening the café’s biggest event of the year.
“If we lose this place during the World Cup, we have to lay off our employees because we won’t have no business whatsoever,” said Azzue.
Patrons typically watch the World Cup outdoors while relaxing on the terrace or, if there’s no more room, from the sidewalk and street.
“People love this area just because of the vibe, because of the TV, because of the ambiance,” Azzue said. “We have our TVs outside for the little kids that come. We do face painting. We do a lot for the area and for the residents.”
City says it can’t postpone work
The owners of Café Vito launched a petition demanding that the city reschedule the work. However, a city spokesperson said postponing the project by a few weeks isn’t possible because another project under the borough’s jurisdiction is slated for the area soon afterward.
“We are aware of the impacts that various construction sites can have on both residents and local business owners,” Hugo Bourgoin said in an email.
“The borough is in contact with the business owner who started the petition, and they will be the ones able to clarify whether or not the café’s terraces can remain in place during the work.”
The work is expected to begin Monday, but Café Vito co-owner Gianna Caltagirone said they only recently learned about the major project.
“There was always talk about construction, but the exact dates were never given to us until a couple of days ago,” she said.
Fans gather to watch the 2024 UEFA European Championship at Café Vito at the corner of Villeray Street and Casgrain Avenue. (Submitted by Gianna Caltagirone)
Getting information has been nothing short of frustrating, she added.
“There’s no answer. No one is letting us know what’s going on,” she said. “Every department I contact isn’t aware of what the other department is doing. So it’s hard to get an answer.”
She said the café hired about 10 students to work for the summer, but without knowing what lies ahead this season, it’s unclear whether they will all remain employed.
“We’re not saying no to roadwork,” Caltagirone added. “We just want to reach a solution, or compromise.”
Nancy Paul, who owns the nearby Frite Alors!, says she’s worried about the upcoming construction as summertime is peak season for her restaurant. (Kevin Archambault/CBC)’This will break our busiest season,’ merchant says
The café won’t be the only business affected. Zlatko Markovic, who owns Salon Eny down the street, said roadwork across the city is already having an impact as his customers come from all around Montreal.
Markovic said his family-owned hair salon has operated for 30 years. He’s concerned his customers won’t be able to reach the business or find parking.
Nancy Paul, who owns the nearby Frite Alors!, will mark one year in business in July. She said she doesn’t understand why the work is being done during the summer.
“I understand we need to do construction, but in the middle of summer, this will break our busiest season,” she said.
“The summer is when I do most of my business. This is terrible for businesses.”