RESTORATION. On August 4, the Quebec businessman and influencer Olivier Primeau was passing through Center-du-Québec to give his opinion on poutines of restaurants in the region. Going to the canteen Les Bessons, Olivier Primeau said that their pizza was the best in Quebec. It followed two weeks of madmen for the owners.
The last 14 days have been harsh tests for the three owners of the Les Bessons canteen, Christian Bourbeau, Émilie Bourbeau and Manon Allard. Following the video of Olivier Primeau, an uncontrollable popularity took hold of pizza and Putin enthusiasts from all over Quebec concerning the canteen located on Boulevard Lemire.
“We really didn’t expect that. Not being too familiar with whom it was, we could not imagine what was going to happen, ”says Christian Bourbeau. The effect was instantaneous, adds his wife, Manon Allard. “The same evening, we were full to the brim. We had to call seven people in reinforcement so that we can succeed in providing with customers, ”she explains.
As requests for pizzas did not stop growing, the cold room overflowed with products. Christian was even forced to rent a refrigerated trailer to serve as a second cold room outside the trade.
Due to the constant influx of customers, the waiting time in the last two weeks was sometimes 1:30 to 2 hours. Some customers have expressed their dissatisfaction with these deadlines, but the restaurant ensures that nothing can be. “Our pizza oven has a maximum capacity and, even if we affected ten people, we could not provide faster,” explains Manon Allard.
The owners of the Les Bessons canteen argue that they are proud to have been able to keep the same recipe despite client orders. “Our concern was that everyone has the same thing on their plate. We didn’t want to change the recipe so that people receive their pizza earlier, ”says Bourbeau.
Their schedule has also been turned upside down for the past two weeks. “We wanted to give a little break to our employees. This is why, sometimes, we had to close at 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. It is still that, when we close at these hours, the work is not finished because we continue to make orders which will sometimes end around 8 am, “says Ms. Allard.
Their popularity has even extended to the greatness of the province. “We have people who came from Rimouski to taste our pizza. There are also many who come from Quebec. The only thing I find a shame and it breaks my heart is when someone comes from Quebec and I have to tell him that we are closing. I find it very sad, but we have to be fair. ”
Recall that the two owners also have another job during the week, which made these last days even crazier for them.
Finally, despite the pitfalls, the entrepreneurs say they are happy with what happened to them. “We only get positive. It motivates us even more to continue the adventure, ”they conclude.