Little Italy restaurant owner’s dreams of a terrasse take surprising turn

A restaurateur in Little Italy is one step closer to getting a terrace after spending years fighting with the City of Montreal.

A restaurant owner in Montreal’s Little Italy wanted to open a terrasse and after years of trying to get approval, he is finally seeing progress.

Primo & Secundo owner Roberto Stabile eventually contacted CTV News due to his frustration at not being able to have his dream of a terrasse for the summer.

“June, July, August we taper off,” he said. “Sales are down, [and] that’s just because people enjoy eating on terrasses and we don’t have one.”

After CTV News contacted the City of Montreal on Thursday, there was progress.

“Our people are there. They are taking measurements, looking at the technical issues. We are looking forward to close the alley,” said Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie borough mayor Francois Limoges.

Stabile’s restaurant is located next to an alley and adjacent to a fire station, and the borough needs approval from the fire department before closing the alley.

However, the news sounds promising.

“We believe in restaurants, nice streets, terrasses,” said Limoges. “We’re making everything to make people happy, and that’s what we’re doing today.”

With approval, Stabile would finally be able to set up a terrasse right next to his restaurant. And in a neighbourhood where many restaurants already have one, it can make a big difference.

“For us it can mean going under water or keeping your head above water,” said Stabile.