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Two restaurants under the same ownership — St-Henri’s Chez Lavigne and Pineau on the Plateau — have closed unexpectedly, according to a brief report in La Presse.
Both restaurants had been closed for vacation through to January 14, but never returned from that winter break. The La Presse article on the closure notes that employees were taken by surprise with the closure, although Eater has not spoken with any employees to confirm when they were notified about the shutters.
Both restaurants were owned by Eric Bernard and Catherine Tremblay — Bernard tells Eater that the restaurants were simply no longer financially tenable.
“There is not a lot to say [to] bring comfort to that wonderful staff that worked on both locations. Revenues were just not there and I just couldn’t keep it afloat any longer,” he wrote in a message.
Both restaurants’ websites appeared to be deactivated on Tuesday morning, but no announcement of the closure had been made on their social media channels, which are still active.
Chez Lavigne opened in early 2016 on Notre-Dame West in St-Henri, with a focus on natural wines and small plates. Pineau, meanwhile, took over space of Plateau bistro Les Cons Servent, opening in September 2019. It scored warm reviews in its opening season, but only lasted four months at its Papineau Avenue location.
