LE BIFTHÈqUE - The Canadian Business Journal

LE BIFTHÈQUE
www.lebiftheque.com
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FOOD & DRINK • Le Bifthèque
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DECEMBER 2010 • The Canadian Business Journal
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FOOD & DRINK • Le Bifthèque
DECEMBER 2010 • The Canadian Business Journal
Le Bifthèque is a restaurant and butcher
shop renowned for their excellent beef and
other fine meats. For nearly thirty years
they have delivered quality and consistency
to their customers. Some of the products
they carry include well aged beef, milk fed
veal and innasfail lamb, to name a few.
For the best part of the 1980s and 1990s, Le
Bifthèque was like Studio 54; big, vibrant, energetic and terribly busy. “It was the place to be,”
recalls Terry Christopoulos, current President of
Le Bifthèque, noting that it was very customary to
have to wait in line for a couple of hours to have
access to a table. The restaurant and butcher shop
that started the sensation was established in Montreal in 1981 by Michael Seltzer. Expansion was
the natural progression of this prodigious beginning for the brand, and the chain grew slowly,
with locations opening in Boucherville, Quebec
City, St-Sauveur, Toronto and Ottawa.
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FOOD & DRINK • Le Bifthèque
The mid 2000s presented a difficult time for
the hospitality industry in general, and Le Bifthèque
was not immune to the downturn in the economy,
tourism and expendable income. The industry
changed with increased competition from new
restaurants. The founder was devoting a lot of time
and effort to developing a new steakhouse chain
south of the border and consequently elected to
sell. Slowly, year after year, Le Bifthèque experienced less traffic and little was done to innovate or
evolve; the result was Le Bifthèque was forced into
receivership in the fall of 2009.
A renaissance
Despite difficult times and the closing of a number of locations, Le Bifthèque is still a name that
resonates in the minds of former patrons who
are nostalgic for the days when they shared a
meal in the dining room or frequented the butcher shop. In its prime Le Bifthèque was a huge
business that had a strong name synonymous
with excellent quality, good service and above all
good value. “This name is what attracted us in
the first place,” says Christopoulos.
This past Spring Le Bifthèque changed
hands and now belongs to a new group who will
look to restore the brand back to its glory. “The
most important thing we acquired is the name
because it is so well recognized. We know that
DECEMBER 2010 • The Canadian Business Journal
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FOOD & DRINK • Le Bifthèque
DECEMBER 2010 • The Canadian Business Journal
we have a huge challenge ahead of us but this
particularly excited about the plans of relocating
also represents an opportunity. Our intention
the butcher shop to the front of the building.
is to spin-off into different divisions and run all
departments as separate profit centres,” contin-
A new day
ues Christopoulos. These divisions include the
In a market place oversaturated with copy-cat
steakhouse, butcher shop and deli, as well as
chains, it is a joy to see Le Bifthèque once
our special events division. “Introducing nov-
again taking its staring role in the Canadian
elty and creating excitement is important but
hospitality industry. A true Canadian success
we will stay true to the fundamentals on which
story of perseverance and quality, customers
the brand was built and made Le Bifthèque so
are going to be creating new dining memories
successful—quality and consistency.”
for generations to come. CB
Christopoulos says it’s the same principle
that drives the restaurant and butcher shop and
that is a never wavering adherence to maintaining the highest standard of quality. “Our view is
very simple. The product that we serve has to be
a quality product.”
Accordingly, there has been a new executive chef brought in, who Christopoulos says has
contributed a tangible creativity and energy in
the kitchen. “We have done a lot of testing and
tasting and are quite pleased with the new menu
we have developed. The new menu will be introduced in the next few weeks.”
The corporate store located in Montreal will
be undergoing renovations over the next year to
make it the flagship. The building that houses
over 42,000 sq feet has three dining rooms, a bar,
banquet halls and a takeout deli. Christopoulos is
www.lebiftheque.com
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AS SEEN IN THE DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE
OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS JOURNAL