Iconic Plateau Bar and Music Venue to Close in Spring — And Other Shutters

PLATEAU — St-Laurent salle de spectacle Le Divan Orange is set to close in spring 2018, according to culture site Urbania. The bar, which was run as a cooperative, has often functioned as a sort of incubator for less-established musicians and bands throughout its 13 years in business. In a letter to Urbania, Divan Orange’s team estimates that around 10,000 musical acts hit the stage in the small venue. It notes that the bar’s financial situation has been “untenable” for several years — evoking memories from the end of 2014, when the bar racked up a whopping $18,000 in fines from noise complaints caused by just one couple living above the bar, who reportedly phoned the police 85 times in just two months). The farewell note highlights the difficulty of propping up a cultural establishment off of alcohol sales alone, lamenting the general lack of government support for small arts venues (the Urbania writer embellishes on this by highlighting the vast amounts of money poured into large-scale cultural events in areas like Place des Arts, “featuring old La Voix contestants”. Here’s part of the reasoning for the shut-down, translated from French.

Some of the blame lies with our management of Le Divan Orange. But it’s also due to the instability of running cultural programming throughout the year, rent and tax increases, difficult relationships with our neighbours, and especially a lack of support from public institutions who could assure our survival. This factors force us to close Le Divan Orange for good.

AHUNTSIC — After five and a half years, Fleury BYOW restaurant Le Chien Rose is bidding the restaurant world farewell. There’s still an opportunity to visit the homey spot before it goes: the final service will be on December 30. Plus, a note on Facebook (now deleted) from owner Michèle Des Rosiers reveals that she’ll keep possession of the space and some kind of new project will happen there, after renovations.

OUTREMONT — Starbucks, you OK? Just after the much-maligned Jean-Talon Market Starbucks closed its doors, multiple Eater tipsters note that another Starbucks on Van Horne at Wiseman has also served its last caramel macchiatos and pumpkin spice lattes. Is Starbucks doing a mass reorganization and killing off stores, or is it just an unlucky double closure? Eater has reached out for details.

DOWNTOWN — Neapolitan pizza spot Piazza del Sogno has closed its doors. The Maisonneuve West firers-of-pizza offered just the cryptic note that “our Piazza has moved back to Naples” as an explanation for the shutter.

OLD MONTREAL — Waterfront-adjacent French-ish bistro O’Quai has shut its doors — given that the establishment was advertising the liquidation of its appliances and such on Facebook, it would appear that the business in the heart of the tourist zone has tanked.

ST-HENRI — Burger and breakfast restaurant Ôzeu (at one point the name also included O’Boeuf) has shut its doors; the East End edition of the same restaurant appears to be still open.

NDG — Sherbrooke West breakfast joint B&M is closing down at the end of November — as reported previously, the nearby Somerled B&M (which has been closed for renovations) will return to take its place.

Seen any bankruptcy notices or papered-over windows in your neighbourhood? Tell us about it.

• Le Divan Orange ferme ses portes et le Montréal musical est en deuil [Urbania]
• Oh, the noise! Plateau's nightlife at stake as residents complain about live music venues [Montreal Gazette]
• Controversial Jean-Talon Starbucks Shuts Down [EMTL]
• Maïs’ Summer Alleyway Pop-Up Closes This Week — And Other Shutters [EMTL]