For nearly half a century, Resto Végo has been a go-to for Montrealers looking for iconic vegetarian cuisine – but now this longtime St-Denis staple is getting ready to serve its final plates, with the owners announcing they’ll officially be closing their doors on July 12th.
“We’ve been losing money for three years now. At some point, you have to make tough decisions because we know we have a large community, and we’ve been in the neighborhood for a long time, too. So it’s really hard on everyone,” said Guylaine Duchesne, the owner of Resto Végo.
After surviving the pandemic and this year’s brutally long winter that brought a decrease in clientele, Duchesne says the costs to operate the restaurant have begun to take their toll, and it’s simply no longer feasible financially for them to remain open.
“It’s different since COVID. It’s sure that it’s not the same and there’s inflation on the food, you know, it’s the same for restaurant owners. They pay for food at a much higher cost. So they have to deal with that. I would have to say right now they have to manage really well, you know, considering the food prices, salaries, rent, everything is going up,” said Dominique Tremblay, the director of public and government affairs with the Association Restauration Québec.
“It’s very expensive in St-Denis, they charge $50 per square foot in rent. That gives you an idea. Here, it costs $30,000 a month, not counting electricity – which is $6,500 a month – and gas is at $2,000 a month, plus insurance. So, when you look at the bottom line, just per month, you have to sell a lot,” said Duchesne.
According to Dominique Tremblay of the Quebec Restaurant Association, table‑service restaurants typically earn profit margins of just 3 to 4 per cent, rising to about 5 per cent for counter‑service and drive‑through operations, meaning owners need high sales or to increase prices to break even.
But Duchesne says she’s against increasing prices again.
“There’s only so much a customer can afford at any given time. You can’t ask people for more. Everyone’s going through the same thing. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. So, you can raise your prices, but you’ll lose customers too,” said Duchesne.
CityNews spoke to some Montrealers who were sad to hear the news of the upcoming closure.
“I’ve been there a few times and wanted to go there more often, but I can’t, that’s very disappointing!” said one Montrealer.
Another saying, “I can’t imagine having a restaurant right now, it must be really hard!”
Meanwhile others replied they sadly aren’t surprised to hear of yet another restaurant closing, as they themselves have had to readjust their spending habits due to the high cost of living.
“I wasn’t eating out that much beforehand, but now I certainly do it not really at all, and I’ve been using the free lunch program at Concordia a lot more than I used to in the past,” explained another Montrealer about how she’s been able to save money by avoiding restaurants altogether.
At least Duchesne says their two other locations at the Biodome and Planetarium will remain open, adding that they’ve still got a few months left before the doors close forever at the St-Denis location.
“Come see us. We’ll be here until July 12th. We’d really love to see you. You’ll find your Végo just as it was before,” said Duchesne.
