Shutterstock A marginal increase to Quebec’s minimum wage comes into effect on Saturday, May 1, and the province’s largest association of restaurateurs isn’t thrilled about it. “Given the current situation, the ARQ considers this increase to come at a very bad time for the industry,” the ARQ says (originally in French, but translated here) in a statement posted to the news section of its website on Wednesday, April 28. The minimum wage is slated to increase by $0.40 to $13.50, and by $0.35 to $10.80 for tipped workers. Restaurants have been closed for in-person service for the last seven months due to government COVID-19 health restrictions, and though takeout and delivery are permitted, the setup only yields about 30 percent of what revenue would be during normal times, the ARQ says. These conditions, it adds, are prompting half of Quebec’s teetering restaurants to consider permanent closures.