Géraldine Mathieu-Lafleur celebrated her 21 years the day she signed to buy the Maguire dairy bar in March 2018.
“I learned to make ice creams at the opening. It is the employees who showed me everything, ”she recalls laughing.
Mireille Rheault-Leclair was 14 when she started working at the Maguire dairy bar. This is one of those who taught the inner workings of soft cream in Géraldine.
And she celebrated her 20 years when she started to become her business partner at the end of summer 2019.
“I did that on a whim,” says Mireille. It was there job Where I have always worked, but I was not used to the owner aspect! ”
The two young women have become business women as “job of summer ”, having never dreamed of being entrepreneurs before.
In interview with The sunthe co -owners admit that they are still imposing themselves to designate themselves as such, seven years later. But they have just bought a new creamie in Limoilou called the Chopines.
The mini big success
Simple counter with a space of only a few square meters, the Maguire dairy bar can barely accommodate three employees inside.
But the line which is inevitably created in front of the trade upon arrival of sunny days betrays its secret not so well kept. Established for decades, the dairy bar continues to attract its faithful. And it is proximity that makes all the difference.
“We are close to the world, we work there too, it seems!” We are not a franchise with employees who are just numbers. ”
In a tiny building, stocks are limited and there were only two employees at the same time inside until this year.
This summer, they are trying with three employees at the same time to meet the ever -increasing demand, but it is really the maximum without pounding on their feet, assure the owners.
The specialty to try absolutely: “Fruit soft!” Get the two owners.
“You choose your soft: Vanilla ice cream, icy yogurt or icy tofu,” explains Mireille.
Then, you have to choose your real frozen fruits, which are crushed in a machine with ice cream to make a beautiful smooth soft with real fruits. And it is even possible to dip it in chocolate!
Zero
With the Chopines, the challenges are quite different.
Géraldine and Mireille bought a raffle branch on the 1st avenue, in Limoilou. The reputation had to be redone, noted the new owners, through other pitfalls.
Already, not easy to get a loan in the name of the Maguire dairy bar to move forward with the transaction. “The catering industry, we are not in the agenda of bankers. They see that there are many restaurants that close, ”explains Géraldine.
Business women have changed the name of the place, of course, and the image too.
“We wanted to go with something more mature, to be elsewhere than the Quétaine de Quartier cream,” explains Géraldine.
As for the names the Chopines, it obviously refers to ice cream chopines. But perhaps also to beer chopines which could possibly be added to the menu, suggest the owners.
“We are trying to bring our beautiful service that we have in Maguire. And the quality of our products too! ”
— Mireille Rheault-Leclair, co-owner of the Maguire dairy bar
Among these quality products, there is soft Nutror ice cream, of which Géraldine and Mireille have proudly exclusivity in Quebec.
“She’s good in titi!” She is firm, she is less sweet, she really tastes vanilla, ”explains Géraldine.
“Customers come back and say to us:” Ice cream is better! “”
The charm of an SME in the face of franchises
Mireille and Géraldine were not delighted to learn that a branch of the franchise at Mamie did not land very far from their brand new dairy bar.
This new dairy chain belongs to the Abbatiello family, which operates more than a hundred restaurants in Quebec, including the Pizzerias Salvatoré.
But the two young women saw others. They more than survived the arrival of a favorite chocolates on Maguire avenue, despite their initial fear.
“Of course I have Google “How to close a business”, says Géraldine, laughing. But in the end, it was more fear than harm.
“The customers were really faithful, they wanted to encourage us even more,” says Mireille.
At the head of their small business, the two young women take advantage of customer affection, but also greater freedom.
“By not being a franchise, we have this latitude to play with the eccentric requests of customers,” underlines Géraldine.
Because in the end, it is their proximity to the community that explains the success of the dairy bar Maguire, promise the two business women.
Namely
- Or? 1461, avenue Maguire and 3285, 1st avenue (Limoilou)
- Who? Géraldine Mathieu-Lafleur and Mireille Rheault-Leclair
- When? From the end of April to the end of September on Maguire. Maybe later for Chopines. Every day from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., or 10 p.m., or until there are no more customers.
- A must? Soft with real fruits
