Road work burns business at one of Dic Ann’s burger joints

MONTREAL – The iconic Dic Ann’s hamburger chain has lost one of its 13 restaurants; the franchise on Saint-Jacques Street has closed.

Owner Lloyd Brown shuttered the business on Christmas Eve due to the never-ending road work and ramp closures.

“It’s basically road closures and entrance and exit to the street that has reduced the traffic by at least 50 per cent,” he told Global News.

Brown put up signs on the restaurant’s windows informing customers that the 10-year-old establishment was now closed.

Global News witnessed several people driving up unaware the hamburger joint was closed during lunch hour on Thursday.

“I don’t know where I’m going to go to eat right now,” one person said.

The access to and from Saint-Jacques Street, either from downtown or the western part of Montreal, isn’t easy.

Drivers are forced to take lengthy detours, depending on the direction, due to work on the Turcot Interchange ordered by Transports Quebec.

Other businesses on the street haven’t closed, but some establishments have felt the squeeze.

Roger Fournier, a mechanic at Midas Saint-Jacques, said business is down between 10 and 15 per cent.

“They don’t come or they go elsewhere,” he said.

The manager of Eggsfrutti put up her own signs to help drivers navigate through the labyrinth of detours just so customers can get to her breakfast restaurant.

“I had to put up posters to let people know how to get here because they didn’t know how to get here with all the closures,” she said.