The owner of La Cage-Brasserie restaurants is laying off nearly 660 employees, or around 30 per cent of its workforce, and shutting down four locations due to the novel coronavirus crisis.
Jean Bédard, Groupe Sportscene president and chief executive officer, said in a statement on Wednesday that the company could not recall “all of the 2,200 employees temporarily laid off last March” in the wake of the closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the cuts, the network of La Cage-Brasserie restaurants will account for 37 establishments.
According to the company, it could take up to two years before it is able to return to the financial standing it had before the health crisis.
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Sportscene also owns the L’Avenue brand, the iconic Montreal steakhouse Moishes and P. F. Chang’s. The company also sells a variety of ready-to-eat products in grocery stores.
Due to the health measures put in place due to the pandemic, all La Cage-Brasserie restaurants are only open in the evenings. Restaurants are only accommodating 50 per cent of their usual capacity.
Sportscene has decided to postpone the time when it will report its results for the third quarter, which ended on May 24, until the end of August.