The owners of Chez Mag in Sainte-Famille-de-l’Île-d’Orléans took the ax to their fine canteen on Tuesday morning. Just in time for the opening of the 2024 season, the small building in which the snack bar has been located since 1964 will rise from its ashes.
The Fine Canteen Chez Mag was demolished on Tuesday. A brand new building will be constructed over the winter. Vincent Desbiens
After the last rolls of the season were served last weekend, the Gagnon family, who have owned the business since 2018, launched their project just two days later.
An excavator and a handful of demolition workers worked to remove all traces of the old canteen, which faced enormous traffic this summer after its Putin was praised by influencer Olivier Primeau.
“It makes us a little sad because we spent a lot of time in this building and have a lot of good memories,” says the co-owner of the fine cantine Chez Mag, Marc-Antoine Gagnon.
Change for the better
Construction work on the new version of the canteen will begin on Wednesday at the same location, near Chemin Royal. The owners hope everything will be ready by April 2024.
The idea of rebuilding at Chez Mag has been in the works for almost two years.
“It was starting to get tight for us there,” explains Mr. Gagnon. At first we just wanted to renovate and expand the existing building, but that was no longer possible. With the enthusiasm of the last few years, we said to ourselves that we have to do more.”
A renovation project that initially cost $250,000 will ultimately cost four times as much to install a brand new cafeteria. The scope of the operation also includes other new features that will be unveiled in 2024.
“It’s a big investment, but things are going well and we want to build something sustainable that allows us to optimize our operations,” argues the co-owner.
(Slightly) more spacious
The new version of Chez Mag will widen the building by six feet, from 12 to 18 on the facade. A new, better equipped and state-of-the-art kitchen will “increase production capacity without compromising on quality,” says Marc-Antoine Gagnon.
Marc-Antoine and Marie-Claude Gagnon, co-owners of Fine Cantine Chez Mag, felt a pang in their hearts when they saw the building collapse under the influence of the excavator. Vincent Desbiens
“We will also have two checkouts so that we can respond more quickly to customer inquiries. We saw that it was more than necessary this summer. […] It’s not easy to serve more than 1,000 customers a day with just one cash register!” he emphasizes.
tradition
Even though the space on the property is quite large, the owners wanted to preserve the essence of Fine Cantine Chez Mag.
There will therefore be no indoor seating and the opening dates will remain the same. The brand image will also be retained, as will the iconic white and red facade.
“We will rebuild with materials that respect heritage. It is a canteen that has existed in Sainte-Famille since the beginning and will continue to be open seasonally. It remains a destination snack, a fine canteen. The whole world comes here to eat good food, drink a little beer and enjoy the atmosphere outside,” concludes Mr. Gagnon.
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