Since the lifting of sanitary measures in catering establishments, several businesses have been slow to recover. If one restaurant in four closes their doors during the year, other restaurateurs are doing quite well.
To find out how the industry is doing right now, the show About your business met with businessman Jean Bédard, president of La Cage brasserie sportive in downtown Montreal.
According to the chain’s co-owner, the biggest challenge was finding the right workforce to operate.
“We are recovering from three difficult years, he suggests. The departure of last year, in March, it was very difficult to reassemble the teams. We had lost a lot of good talent during that period.
“I would say that we have resumed cruising speed, obviously we still have to be careful. We see the rise in interest rates, the economy, some people talk regarding a recession. I think we should be good to get away with it.”
Another reality: the economic context. If the faithful return little by little, their portfolio is less heavy than in the pre-pandemic years.
“I would say maybe they spend a little less. It means that people, perhaps even at the level of consumption, they will share the entries and all that. I think people need to go out, to keep going out, but we still feel a certain caution.
Since their journey to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, the Montreal Canadiens have begun a process of rebuilding. In the spring, if the club is not in the playoffs, the economic impact is evident in sports brasseries like La Cage.
Bédard and his team had to review their business model as a result.
Jean Bedard
“Before we repositioned La Cage, we were very dependent on sports performance. The Canadian mainly. I would say that is much less the case now. Even that was less the case before the pandemic.
“I don’t think it worries us like it worried us 10 years ago when we said to ourselves ‘what are we going to do this summer? People won’t come to see us because Canadians don’t play. It changes.”
While supply has been chaotic for a good number of establishments, a menu that includes featured chicken wings, for example, can’t miss it. The importance of developing a partnership with companies becomes crucial.
“We have an exceptional partner with Exceldor. The wings of Quebec in addition, we are lucky to be able to have a partner like that. We’ve been working with them for a long time, says Jean Bédard. We do this both at the retail level and in restaurants.
“They increased their production capacity last year, they still invested significantly in Saint-Bruno precisely to be able to meet demand. Mainly ours.”
Fortunately, the labor problem seems to have been solved for La Cage.
“It’s going well, we had a lot of concerns before the holidays. When we left, it was difficult and our team worked very hard. It’s also a lot when recruiting internationally. We have a lot of people coming to us, we do missions abroad, people who want to come to Quebec.”
Finally, if La Cage customers might wish the brand one thing, Jean Bédard does not hesitate: “stability!”
Watch the report in the video above.