Running unlicesened bars comes with some sort of possible punishment and some might say that the benefits often outweigh the crimes. A friend in Toronto used to tell me about huge parties that made tons of money but only suffered minor fines.
Anyway, this little restaurant was serving as an after hours joint for about 18 months. A guy named Stanley Achotia signed a lease and was apparently allowed to use the liquor license of the previous commercial tenant until he could get the next one approved.
Police were well aware that it was being run as an after-hours joint, across from the legendary Lafleurs hot dog join in Ville St Pierre since mid 2010 and came many times due to complaints that there were about 40 or 50 people there at all hours, not far from residences.
On Feb. 2 the liquor license authorities finally studied his application and refused it. And it's unlikely that Achiota will ever get a liquor license after this failed attempt, however one might assume that he did very well with his business in the time it lasted.
I remember being taken to a Plateau after-hours place. It was a restaurant in between owners, where people sat around with coffee cups with booze in them, some openly doing coke.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I realized was that almost all of them were bar workers themselves, who needed a place to unwind for an hour or two after work! Not unreasonable, really.
That is the original Lafleur, but that ain't V.S.P. It's in Lasalle.
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