If there is one thing the current crisis shows us, it is that entrepreneurs do not waste time. Conversely, the government bureaucracy is so slow to react to as many new developments as it comes to harm these entrepreneurs! The most recent example: the sale of alcohol on delivery or takeout.
When they were forced to close their dining room, the restaurateurs quickly adapted and offered their menu on delivery or take out. They also innovated, for example by setting up an online ordering system. They had no choice but to do so, just to keep their heads above water and continue their activities.
Some restaurateurs have also partnered with other entrepreneurs to join forces. For example, the St-Hubert chain and La Cage - Brasserie sportive restaurants have teamed up with Pur Vodka by adding this ready-to-drink gin to their menu.
Only a few days later, the offer was removed from the menus because, by law, the activity was deemed illegal. This spirit can only be sold in the dining room, while wine and beer can be delivered or taken away.
Faced with outcry over the bad news and repeated cries from the restaurant industry, the government has tabled amendments to the post-COVID economic recovery bill by allowing more flexibility in the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Which led the Association des producers de cidre du Québec (APCQ) and the Association des microbrasseries du Québec (AMBQ) to applaud this news ... while rebelling at this quick flip-flop while the two associations are carrying out battles for years to get that same right!
This is therefore a very small victory for the producers, hampered in their tracks by the bureaucracy.