St-Hubert is closing its dining rooms, but the delivery service and the pick up counter will remain operational for all restaurants, albeit with a reduced menus. Details below.
Preventive measure to limit the spread of COVID-19
Laval, March 16, 2020
Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert Ltée has decided to close the dining rooms of all their restaurants until further notice. This preventive measure is intended to favour the safety or our customers and employees and limit the spread of COVID-19.
While closing the dining rooms, the banner will introduce reduced menus, effective tomorrow, which will simplify operations. Note that the delivery service and the car order services will remain operational for all restaurants.
Also, the only payments accepted will be by debit or credit cards, thus preferring “contactless” payment. Cash will no longer be accepted for an undetermined period.
Imperatively, the safety of customers, employees, franchisees, and therefore the community, is being given priority through these initiatives: “We are living through difficult times that require decisions that are just as difficult. In these times of uncertainty and for everyone’s good, St-Hubert must embody its role as an industry leader. As a responsible company, we must stand out as a leader for the health and welfare of our employees and customers. This is what we are doing proactively by temporarily closing our dining rooms,” affirms Richard Scofield, President of St-Hubert Group.
After following all the recommended precautions and measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, Pacini is taking an additional step by temporarily closing all of its establishments across Canada starting Monday, March 16.
This decision supports the recommendation put forward by political and health authorities to avoid large gatherings in order to effectively fight the coronavirus. The chain aims to protect its customers, employees, franchisees, suppliers, partners and every community where it is established.
“Very large companies, such as Apple and Nike, have already closed all their stores, no matter what it costs,” says Pierre Marc Tremblay, owner of the chain. “We applaud their sense of responsibility and their courage, and we put our shoulder to the wheel,” adds Nathalie Lehoux, Happy President of Pacini.
Given this decision, all employees will benefit from employment insurance and they will be ready to welcome and serve our guests as soon as the situation returns to normal. Until then, Pacini will donate all of its surplus food to Quebec food banks.
More than ever, Pacini leaders and employees wish you health, love and happiness. Once this event is behind us, we look forward to welcoming you again to one of our restaurants.
‘Tis the season for road trips and lunches on the go.
And the young Waffles had been bugging us for a stop at Tim Hortons for weeks now.
Despite my strong will, Ms. Waffle joined the fray as we headed out for Frontenac County for the Noël festivities.
I had other helpful suggestions along the way. But it seemed there was no way around it. We would have to stop around 12:30 in Carleton Place, since it would coincide with my car’s need to be fed too. I was dreading the arrival. It is the Holidays. It would be packed. It would be loud. It would smell like bad coffee and candy canes.
Neither the McDonald’s next door nor the A&W across the street could sway them. In they went into the Timmies. The thought occured to me that I could just fill up and keep driving. All the presents were in the car anyway!
Ms. Waffle brought me back to reality and asked what I wanted. Ribs, I suggested. Or maybe their Beyond Burger if they still had it. (They didn’t.)
She went in with the kids to face the crowd, order our meals and grab a table. I went in soon after, to find the location not as full as I expected. The place was busy, but mostly with people going in and out and smartly refusing to wait 40 minutes in their car for a coffee. Mel had already secured a table and 3 out of 4 drinks, her coffee missing in action.
What was not missing in action was a hot steeped tea, splashed all over the floor and retaining wall by a distracted customer waiting at the counter for her order. Ho! Ho! Ho!.
Mel wanted the Crispy Chicken Wrap, but alas, they were out of chicken. So she ordered the first item on their lunch menu: the Turkey Bacon Club, which I hadn’t had in a long time.
There were 12 sandwiches on their menu, but when you drill down, there are really only 3 different items, with options: The sandwich, the wrap and the grilled cheese.
Take their basic Garden Vegetable. Add bacon, you’ve got the BLT. Add Turkey, you’ve got the Turkey Bacon Club. Switch the bacon for jalapeño, you’ve got the Jalapeño Turkey Sandwich. Or change the Turkey and Jalapeño for Ham and Cheddar.
Then you have the Chicken Wrap. Add bacon and ranch dressing for their Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap. Or go with crispy chicken with either the Jalapeño Chicken Wrap or the Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Wrap.
Then there is their Grilled Cheese Melt selection. Go regular, or add Bacon, Ham or Turkey. Tada! 12 sandwiches.
While the new rustic bun has stayed and is now their main sandwich bun, I am sad to report that Tim Horton’s has reverted to sliced turkey deli meat. Now, mind you, you rarely get the advertised slices of turkey. It was more like chunks and shredded turkey, which was not ideal for structural integrity, but in my opinion a more flavourful and healthier option than deli turkey.
But that is what I got, with a side order of Potato Wedges.
The autopsy shot allows you to see a fairly stable structure: From the bottom, you have mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce, sliced turkey, bacon and more mayonaise.
First, let me point out the pinkish hue of the deli meat, indicative of a fair amount of nitrites. Still, the meat was fresh with a decent deli turkey flavour. The bacon was, of course, pre-cooked and slapped on. It was a bit chewy and salty for my taste buds.
The lettuce was nice and crispy, but the tomatoes were meh. The time of the year, no doubt. The bun was quite firm, if not hard in the corners. While it allows for the sandwich to hold together nicely, I like a little more softness to the touch.
On the side, potato wedges, which Tim Hortons introduced as a new menu item at all of its locations in June 2016. I was a sceptic at first, but I admit that the golden crunchy outside and soft creamy inside convinced me, along with the garlic, onion and parsley seasoning.
Meanwhile, the kids got to enjoy their Grilled Cheese Melt, and, more importantly, their festive red-nosed Reindeer Donuts: Chocolate Timbits, rolled in red sprinkles and set on top of chocolate dipped donut with two sugar eyes and chocolate antler. Chased down by a Candy Cane Hot Chocolate.
The Waffle Jr. deconstucted her donut, eating each part separately. Mini Waffle ate the nose first, with no hands.
The Deli Chenoy’s brand is taking another step towards oblivion as the owners of the Gatineau franchise announced this evening that they had put the final touch on their rebranding, getting rid of Chenoy’s in favour of another famous smoked meat chain.
The location, which opened in the Complexe Lumière (otherwise known as Cinéma 9) in 1997, is now officially a Nickels.
This leaves the Dollard-des-Ormeaux Chenoy’s as the last one standing for the chain, which was established in 1936.
The management team remains the same, so it’ll be interesting to see the transition.
It is not the first time Nickels Delicatessen is opening stores in the National Capital Region. I recall one location on the Greber boulevard and another one on Dalhousie street in Ottawa.
In the early 1990s, Lawrence and Peter Mammas partnered with Paul Sara, René Angélil and Céline Dion to create the restaurant chain Nickels.
Originally designed as a typical North American family diner, Nickels redesigned some of its restaurants and introduced a grill and bar concept. It has refocussed as Nickels Delicatessen, with a fairly extensive menu ranging from hamburgers, chicken and ribs, to pizza, salads and a number of sandwiches, including of course Montreal-style smoked meat.
Dion and Angelil sold their shares in 1997, but the Céline chocolate cake remains a popular item.
The franchise ran into trouble in 2000, when franchisees of the group, which had around 40 restaurants in Quebec and Ontario at the time, got into trouble with the taxman for using software that saved them from paying taxes. 17 restaurants in total were involved in the scheme.
Since 2017, Nickels has been part of Foodtastic, a group of restaurants which also includes les Rôtisseries Benny, La Belle & La Boeuf, Souvlaki Bar, Carlos & Pepe’s, Vinnie Gambini’s Italian Restaurants and Bacaro, Chocolato, Big Rig, Monza and Au Coq.
The Gatineau location is the 11th restaurant under the new administration with most of them being in the Montreal area.
I’ve been meaning to try New York Fries‘ Butter Chicken Poutine for some time now and I got the opportunity at the Bayshore food court, where I was shopping for Christmas present.
The Butter Chicken Poutine was introduced to NYF’s line up in 2011, along with the Braised Beef Poutine. As far as I know, NYF was the first to offer it.
Whoever thought that mixing Quebec’s national dish with India’s most popular curry is a genius.
I ordered a regular size poutine. You know the drill: fries on the bottom, followed by cheese curds. Then, the twist: butter chicken instead of the classic brown gravy.
The fries were good, as usual. The cheese curds weren’t squeaking, which is always sad.
The key, though, was the butter chicken itself.
I was expecting bland, but it wasn’t. The tomato sauce was mildly spicy, with some heat, but not too much. There was plenty of chicken pieces in it. It worked quite well with the cheese curds, though perhaps it would work even better with Paneer.
The sauce was thick, which is not surprising. It meant that it sat on top of the dish, instead of pooling at the bottom. We some good forkplay, I got sauce on all fries and none of them were soggy for having sat in the sauce too long. Proper thing.
Now, be mindful that nothing has more calories on NYF’s menu than the Large Butter Chicken Poutine at 1780 calories.
But ’tis the Season and all that. And I only got a regular. So there.
Meanwhile, the kids got to enjoy their Grilled Cheese Melt, and, more importantly, their festive red-nosed Reindeer Donuts: Chocolate Timbits, rolled in red sprinkles and set on top of chocolate dipped donut with two sugar eyes and chocolate antler. Chased down by a Candy Cane Hot Chocolate.
The Deli Chenoy’s brand is taking another step towards oblivion as the owners of the Gatineau franchise 
