An Ottawa restaurateur said he wants the city to compensate him after a broken watermain Saturday forced him to close his doors before his busiest night.

Fresco Italiano owner Jim Bickford said he and a dozen other businesses had to close their doors at 5 p.m. after a watermain pipe burst between Waverly and Gladstone.

Bickford says he cancelled about 110 reservations Saturday night and estimates the restaurant lost between $10,000 and $12,000. Because the pipes were fixed within 48 hours, he said his losses aren’t covered by his insurance.

It was one of three watermain breaks over the last three days in Ottawa, where temperatures dropped sharply starting on Friday. Bickford said the city should be doing more than reacting to problems as they develop.

"I just think that there's gotta be a system better than what they're doing, just waiting for things to happen, as opposed to cataloguing and knowing what areas need to be looked at," said Bickford.

The city received about 139 claims for damages over the past five years after broken water mains but only one was from a business owner, and it was dismissed.

However, 22 homeowners were paid out a total of $107,000 after filing their claims.