The La Cage restaurant chain – formerly called La Cage aux Sports – is currently trying to conquer Europe.
A first branch opened in Bordeaux, France, last June, which will soon be joined by a second restaurant.
But other European countries could soon discover our sports breweries for themselves.
“We have always had requests, mainly from France, to export the La Cage concept and five years ago there was a serious group with whom we were in discussions,” explains Jean Bédard, president and president of TVA Nouvelles, in one Interview CEO of Cage Brasserie Sportive.
TOMA ICZKOVITS
La Cage managers therefore agreed to conduct a test in Bordeaux and open a restaurant or two, since such a concept does not exist in France, where sports bars are more like pubs, with smaller TVs.
Unexpectedly, the experiment carried out in Bordeaux seems to have aroused the interest of other countries.
“We had people from Portugal who met us in December, very serious people. We also have people for England who are serious too,” explains Mr Bédard.
Jeremy Bernier
“This type of restaurant is really trendy and Europeans, especially young people, are very open to anything that comes from North America,” he adds.
Mr. Bédard also believes that the restaurant chain's Quebec origins are also an advantage. Quebec is also in the spotlight in the French branches.
“We have decided that they want the same thing with the French group as they do with us, and even their wish is that we can export the traditional friendly service of Quebecers to France,” mentions the president.
The menu is almost identical to that of the branches in Quebec. The French also adopt Quebec eating habits during a meal. While wine is generally preferred over beer in France, restaurant customers in Bordeaux are choosing beer in similar quantities to what we see in Quebec.
“So when people go to La Cage, they go there to have a beer and then have a little bit of the same experience. It’s fascinating and that gives us courage for the future,” enthuses Mr. Bédard.
For all the details, listen to the interview with Jean Bédard in the video at the beginning of the article.