POINTE-CLAIRE – Le Manoir has been a fixture in Point-Claire for more than 40 years, serving up chicken wings and beer to hungry patrons and hockey fans.
However, a long-standing dispute between the City of Pointe-Claire and bar owner Peter Sergakis over what kinds of beverages he can serve at his bar is bubbling over into the courts.
“This gentleman is drinking wine,” Sergakis said from inside the restaurant, pointing to a patron drinking wine. “What is the difference between drinking wine and gin?”
Sergakis thinks the City is attempting to force his bar out of its current digs on St. Jean Boulevard by denying him permission to expand, make improvements and expand its alcohol offerings. He believes the City wants to build condominiums near the bar.
“They’re against the brasserie, they want it to disappear,” he said. “But I have a message for them: Never.”
Pointe-Claire officials wouldn’t comment on the case because it is before the courts.
Sergakis is seeking monetary damages, the right to expand, and a bar permit.
Sergakis has appealed various court actions since he bought the restaurant about five years ago, but appeals courts have generally sided with the City.
There is also confusion about the exact nature of the licence the restaurant has currently. Sergakis contends the brasserie licence it now has allows patrons to drink without eating anything. The patrons and waitstaff seem to believe the same holds true, and on a Wednesday afternoon people drank in the bar without eating with no issue.
A court date is scheduled for May.
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