Valentine’s No-Shows Plague Montreal — And Other Intel

DOWNTOWN — Customers making reservations and never showing up are an excrutiating annoyance for restaurants, and they seem to peak on Valentine’s Day (although they certainly happen throughout the year). French restaurant La Société on de la Montagne had one-quarter of its reservations (ten tables out of 40) never show their faces. General manager and operator Tina Faouaz tells Eater that the issue isn’t going away. “I think the problem’s getting bigger because there’s no accountability — we can’t charge a no show.“ Restaurants in Quebec aren’t allowed to charge any sort of cancellation or no-show fee. “Restaurants are assuming the risk and responsibility for people who don’t have to hold up their end of the bargain,” Faouaz adds. Restaurateurs, if you’ve had customers reserving and not coming, you’re invited to complain to Eater about it. Perhaps it’s time to resurrect the Twitter account naming and shaming no-shows?

ST-HENRI — The more affordable of Saint-Henri’s taquerias has moved: Tacos Frida packed up from its small location and moved a few doors east to 4350 Notre-Dame West (corner Sainte-Marguerite). That’s the old Déli Sokolow, in case you were wondering.

VILLAGE — Former “Gay Disneyland”, the Bourbon Complex, is set to vanish from the Sainte-Catherine East landscape. The whimsical red brick monolith used to house numerous bars, clubs, and restaurants until its demise in 2014. It has sat vacant since then but Fugues reports that it’s going to be demolished and replaced with a nine level condo building — signs warning passers-by not to trespass have already gone up.

Eater Montreal

MILE END — St-Laurent izakaya with a touch of French Thazard has added weekend brunch service. The menu, posted below, is table d’hôte: one main plate, with bread, and spreads and small bites. Also of note: really cheap caesars and mimosas.

A MYSTERY — Seth Gabrielse of Automne Boulangerie is leaving the bakehouse for one night only to host a special Quebec-focused dinner for Saisons. The menu and location remain a mystery, but guests will be given different snippets of the menu and asked to pair a wine with it, and present it at the dinner. Tickets are required, and it takes place Wednesday February 22.

DOWNTOWN — Japanese-Peruvian newcomer Tiradito is releasing a cute set of behind the scenes videos, showing how chef Marcel Larrea’s Nikkei dishes like duck “pokeviche” are put together. Here’s one — the rest are on Tiradito’s Facebook.

ON THE ROAD — For those with anxiety about ordering food over the telephone, or who are simply impatient, delivery site Foodora now has a pick-up option, allowing you to peruse menus, order online and pick it up yourself. Unlike deliveries, there’s also no minimum spend required.

ALL OVER — Grease-lovers rejoice: McDonald’s and A&W are both launching all-day breakfast this month. At McDonald’s, it rolls out next Monday (February 21), but the menu is shortened, featuring McMuffin sandwiches, hash browns, hotcakes and sausages. A&W is rolling it out progressively, and also sticking to a limited menu of Egger sandwiches, hash browns and a wrap.

• Heartless No-Shows Made Some Montreal Restaurants Sad on Valentine's Day [EMTL]
• H4C Suffers 54 No-Shows Over Two Weekends [EMTL]
• No-Shows Montreal [Twitter]
• Un Nouveau Projet Immobilier Remplacera Le Complexe Bourbon [Fugues]
• Saisons 2017 Wintertime Magic Dinner with Chef Seth Gabrielse [EventBrite]
• Tiradito [Facebook]
• Foodora Launches Pick-up Service to Bring More Flexibility to Canadian Foodies [Marketwired]