A restaurant that closes is a piece of our culture that disappears

We recently saw the announcement of the reopening of the famous restaurant of Colombe St-Pierre, one of the most influential chefs in Quebec. She took the opportunity to share the challenges and solutions she is implementing to ensure the sustainability of her establishment. Not all restaurateurs will be able to meet these challenges.

Guillaume Mathieu

Partner, co-founder, ilot

Last January alone, according to data from the Association of Quebec Restaurateurs (ARQ), 68 restaurants closed their doors in Quebec, in addition to the 406 in 2023. Large tables like small neighborhood cafes. Current economic uncertainty, inflation, the aftereffects of the pandemic and loan payments are partly to blame.

Beyond the impacts on jobs and the economy, these are neighborhoods that lose a core, agricultural producers who lose valuable partners… and even Quebec which loses part of its culture, its identity.

Restaurant closure and loss of Quebec identity? Oh yeah ! In 1825, the French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin uttered his famous phrase: “Tell me what you eat, I will tell you what you are.” » Today, this sentence remains most relevant. We travel to discover the culture of other peoples through, among other things, their food. And cultures from elsewhere come to meet us also thanks to their identity dishes. Let’s just think about the proliferation of sushi bars, kebab counters and even ramen bars.

Gourmet tourism

At home, we make a pilgrimage to Charlevoix to taste the flavors of the region at the Faux Bergers, we go up to Ferme-Neuve for the unique tastes of the Hautes-Laurentides at the Cantine Pollens & Nectars… On vacation, we stop at the canteen from the area to discover the twist local of its poutine. On the way to the chalet, we take a detour to go to the village bakery to pick up this unique baguette reminiscent of those from yesteryear.

And from everywhere we come here to discover what Quebec has unique to offer thanks to the talent of chefs from diverse origins who transform, prepare and transmit our culture to curious people from around the world. More than a third of tourists who visit Montreal call themselves “foodie tourists” ^⁠1therefore travel to discover the food offerings of a region.

Food, like language and the arts, among others, is part of a culture that should not be neglected. So, every time a restaurant closes, regardless of its form, it’s a bit of our identity that dies.

Beyond the impact on our cultural identity, each time a restaurant closes, the impact is immediate on a whole host of producers and artisans. Because no matter the talent of a great chef or the creativity of a small bistro owner, without quality ingredients, distinctive catering would not be much. In addition to being their raw materials, ingredients from niche producers are most of the time the muse of menus to offer more seasonality, more freshness, more flavor… more of us.

Each “grande table” sources its supplies on average from 38 niche producers^⁠1. A recent study by the La Table Ronde collective also indicates that two thirds of its members’ menus are composed of ingredients from Quebec compared to a third on the plates of the general public and that 15% of their wine lists are Quebecois compared to a meager 0.35% of wines sold by the SAQ. So, every time we lose a restaurant, we also lose dedicated producers who disappear with their immeasurable know-how. Once again, a piece of our culture is disappearing.

The disappearance of producers also means less occupation of territory and less vitality in the region. A producer who goes bankrupt or who abandons is more than an ingredient that a chef loses, it is a source of inspiration. Another piece of culture that is flying away.

I hear you say “yes, but it’s so expensive to go to a restaurant”. Yes, but going to the cinema to see a blockbuster, attending a show by an international star, subscribing to Netflix too, it’s expensive. Everything is a question of choice.

Let us realize that everything is connected, that our restaurateurs and producers contribute to bringing our regions, our know-how to life… and also, very much, our identity.

Health !

1. Report Independent chefs and restaurateurs of Quebec gastronomy – A lever for the economic recovery of Montreal and Quebec/Impact study and roadmap for the growth of the sector, May 2021

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