2023-08-28 04:00:00
A story of love, neighbours, family and French fries: it’s a bit like all that, Les Restaurants Lafleur, a Montreal fast food brand that has more history than McDonald’s.
For young people, Lafleur is associated with Lucie, a 63-year-old super cashier, followed by a few tens of thousands of subscribers on TikTok: she dares to eat poutine with pickles and she makes funny videos.
But, behind the image, there is a Greek-Quebec family who, from Petit Québec to Belle Province, have been immersed in fast food since childhood.
Brothers George and John Papagiannis took over from their father last year. George is in charge and his wife, Alexandra Tsotsis, accompanies him in marketing, in particular.
“We have always worked in catering since our youth. We were neighbours, we lived on the same street in Brossard, our parents had restaurants and when I met George, I was 12 and he was 16. I had only one eyebrow and hair under my arms. He had a car and a girlfriend,” Alexandra recalls with humor.
When she turned 18, they met at an event and something clicked: they have been together for twenty years and they have three children.
Listen to the economics interview with Alexandra Tsotsis, Marketing Director of Lafleur Restaurants, on QUB radio:
Go further with family
“And we always wanted to do something bigger than what our parents might build,” Alexandra says of the 16 restaurants.
“The dream is that we would like to double the number of branches in the next few years. And the biggest dream is to reach at least 50 branches!” throws George.
His father immigrated from Greece in 1974 and he opened a restaurant La Belle Province two years later. He didn’t know a word of French when he arrived. He learned from people.
As a child, George, filled with admiration, always wanted to follow his father every time he opened a new restaurant.
“My dad worked 80 to 100 hours a week for a long time to achieve the success he had. We saw him less than the other young people saw their father, but he worked hard to build something. And later in our lives, we made up for the missed time,” says the entrepreneur, who still works with his father, Achilles, today.
From him he learned the dedication to the customer, the desire to satisfy him continuously.
“If you don’t have that in you, you don’t have a restaurant business,” he believes.
Martin Alarie / Le Journal de Montreal
Youth cure
In July, Les Restaurants Lafleur reopened its emblematic branch on the Côte-de-Liesse, in Montreal, following an intense makeover and a new brand image. The old counter has been replaced by a bright dining room with 70 seats. Several of the other restaurants will be completely renovated in the coming months and new ones will open their doors: Magog in the fall, Longueuil and Laval in 2024. The Papagiannis want to expand the footprint of the brand, born on rue Lafleur, in Lasalle , in 1951.
“It’s a Quebec flagship that must become accessible to everyone. The brand has a lot of history and it would give me a lot of satisfaction to push it as far as possible,” says George.
What he likes above all in the adventure of restoration? Create good memories. For his family, for his customers, for his employees.
As long as writing a long story, as well as having fun…
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