Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin is weighing in on the closure of an iconic Windsor deli.
Bortolin pins the closure of Malic's Delicatessen after more than 90 years on management.
Owner Alex Ethier called the restaurant's long-time location just east of Ouellette Ave. on Wyandotte St., unappealing and blamed a lack of parking.
Bortolin is a chef who established Rino's Kitchen in downtown Windsor before selling the business when he entered politics.
As heard on AM800's Sunday Morning Live, Bortolin says Ethier didn't do his homework before purchasing the deli.
"As a restaurateur there a million things that go into making a successful restaurant. A Restaurant that's been there for more than 80 years, for you to come out and say the locations is wrong? You're pointing fingers. The blame isn't the location, the blame isn't the parking, those are ridiculous comments," he says.
Bortolin says he made changes that may have turned off long-time customer.
"He bought a restaurant blind to the realities, he's from out of town and bought the restaurant without understanding anything about the market here, which, as a restaurateur, it's the biggest thing," says Bortolin. "It's not if you can cook, and it's not if you can create a great menu, it's about understanding the market for what customers you're going to have."
Malic's officially shut its doors Sunday, and will remain closed until the owners find a new location.