L’Gros Luxe restaurant in the Plateau fighting a 30-day suspension

A popular hangout in Montreal’s Plateau has been ordered to shut down for 30 days by Quebec’s liquor board, the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.

L’Gros Luxe restaurant is accused of violating certain conditions related to its liquor licence. However, the owner is planning to fight the liquor board’s decision in court.

“This is crazy,” owner Alexandre Bastide said. “We’re talking about a vegetarian, non-violent restaurant.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is crazy," owner Alexandre Bastide said. "We're talking about a vegetarian, non-violent restaurant."

In a decision rendered Oct. 31, the liquor board claims the restaurant violated liquor licence conditions by, among other things, staying open past 11 p.m. and failing to have a bouncer out front at all times.

“It’s actually a 30-day suspension but it’s also saying that during the suspension no one is allowed to come into the restaurant,” Bastide said. “We’re not allowed to operate for 30 days which is pretty heavy.”

The owner admits the restaurant used to be packed with customers, often lining up on the street, when it first opened two years ago on Rue St-Andre in the Plateau Mont Royal borough.

But he claims all that changed when he opened five other locations and turned the St-André spot into a vegetarian-only restaurant.

“I don’t know why they feel I need such punishment and why it’s so severe,” Bastide said. “The issues from 2014 are gone.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't know why they feel I need such punishment and why it's so severe," Bastide said. "The issues from 2014 are gone."

Bastide has already filed an appeal but the restaurant’s more than 30 staff members are worried and wondering if they’ll soon be out of a job.

“It’s not like we’re making the most money in the world so it’s not like we have huge savings to prepare for something like this,” chef Alana Kaufmann said.

One neighbour, who had made noise complaints in the past, admits it’s a different ball game.

“It was really awful at one and two o’clock in the morning,” next-door neighbour Marie-Therese Legrand said. “Now the clientele is a lot quieter.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was really awful at one and two o'clock in the morning," next-door neighbour Marie-Therese Legrand said. "Now the clientele is a lot quieter."

For now, the owner is refusing to hire a full-time bouncer, claiming it would cost his company a fortune.

“This can represent easily $30,000 a year, so for us we would rather take this money and fight,” Bastide said.

“We’ll go all the way to Supreme Court if we have to. This makes no sense!”

The suspension was supposed to take effect this week, but now that an appeal has been filed, the closure has been put on hold.