2023-07-29 18:42:45
Qualified as one of the best in Quebec by Olivier Primeau, the poutine of the fine canteen Chez Mag is currently causing quite a stir on Île d’Orléans while people from all over Quebec can wait up to two hours before tasting this little marvel.
After several years of traveling across Quebec in search of the best poutine, the influencer and businessman went to Sainte-Famille earlier this week to test said poutine.
He then gave it a score of 9.8 out of 10, calling it “one of the best poutines in Quebec” in a video that quickly ignited social networks.
Pick-your-own traditional “island strawberries” will therefore have competition in the category of the most popular activities, while the fine canteen Chez Mag serves 1,000 customers every day.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
To foil
Several minutes before the restaurant opened on Saturday, police were on the move to ensure people’s safety. The line stretched for a good part of the street, where there was no sidewalk.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
In order to cope with this huge crowd, the restaurant has even created, in partnership with Bistro La Cohue, an “ephemeral outdoor kitchen” where only classic poutines and lobster rolls. This initiative makes it possible to free up the canteen to facilitate the arrival of those who wish to taste the other dishes offered.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
Although positive, this popularity also causes a lot of headaches for owners, who have to deal with this craze that is growing day by day.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
Due to almost two-hour queues, they had to resign themselves to reducing their opening hours so as not to burn out the staff.
“If you understand what we mean here, it’s that we’d rather keep our staff than make more money,” reads a post on Chez Mag’s Facebook page.
Anti-inflation
Met by The newspaper a few weeks ago, the owners said they had decided to give customers a break, betting that they might achieve the same profitability by increasing their sales volume.
“It would be easy to sell burgers at $16 or $18, but where does the price increase end?” asked Marc-Antoine Gagnon, co-owner of Chez Mag in Sainte-Famille.
Marc-André Gagnon, co-owner of Chez Mag on Île d’Orléans, increases his turnover by not raising his prices. Photo Valerie Lesage
The strategy then seemed to work since he confided that the restaurant’s sales were up 18% compared to the same date last year.
It’s a safe bet that with recent events, sales are still expected to increase. Marc-Antoine Gagnon, however, was not available to answer our questions, busily serving a horde of hungry people during the visit to the Journal SATURDAY.
A visit that revealed that their poutine is indeed delicious.
The famous classic poutine from Chez Mag | Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
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