A tale of love, neighbors, family and fries: It’s a similar story at Les Restaurants Lafleur, a Montreal fast-food brand that has more history than McDonald’s.
For young people, Lafleur is associated with Lucie, a 63-year-old super cashier who is followed by some tens of thousands of subscribers on TikTok: she dares to eat Putin with pickles and she makes funny videos.
But behind the picture is a Greek-Quebecan family who, from Petit Québec to Belle Province, have been involved in fast food since childhood.
Brothers George and John Papagiannis took over from their father last year. George is responsible and his wife Alexandra Tsotsis accompanies him especially in marketing.
“We have always been in the catering industry since we were young. We were neighbors, we lived on the same street in Brossard, our parents had restaurants and when I met George I was 12 and he was 16. I only had one eyebrow and hair under my arms. He had a car and a girlfriend,” Alexandra remembers humorously.
When she turned 18, they met at an event and it clicked: they have been together for twenty years and have three children.
- Listen to the business interview with Alexandra Tsotsis, Head of Marketing at Lafleur Restaurants QUB radio:
Go on with the family
“And we always wanted to do something bigger than what our parents could build,” says Alexandra of the 16 restaurants.
“The dream is that we want to double the number of branches in the next few years. And the biggest dream is to reach at least 50 stores!” throws George.
His father emigrated from Greece in 1974 and two years later he opened a restaurant in La Belle province. When he arrived he couldn’t speak a word of French. He learned from people.
As a child, George always wanted to follow his father with admiration when he opened a new restaurant.
“For a long time, my father worked 80 to 100 hours a week to achieve his success. We saw him less than the other young people saw their father, but he worked hard to build something. And later in life we made up for lost time,” says the entrepreneur, who still works with his father Achilles today.
From him he learned devotion to the customer, the desire to continuously satisfy him.
“If you don’t have that in you, you don’t have a restaurant business,” he believes.
Martin Alarie / Le Journal de Montreal
youth cure
In July, Les Restaurants Lafleur reopened its iconic location on Montreal’s Côte-de-Liesse after a major makeover and rebranding. The old counter has been replaced by a bright dining room with 70 seats. Several of the other restaurants will be completely renovated in the coming months and new ones will open their doors: Magog in autumn, Longueuil and Laval in 2024. The Papagiannis want to expand the presence of the brand, born on rue Lafleur in Lasalle, in 1951.
“It’s a Quebec flagship that needs to be accessible to everyone. The brand has a long history and it would give me great pleasure to push it as far as possible,” says George.
What does he particularly like about the adventure of restoration? Create beautiful memories. For his family, for his customers, for his employees.
As long as you make a long story and have fun…
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