Hélène

"For now, the young woman and her husband have only one concern: that everything be perfect to welcome the clientele, half tempted, half curious, who are already crowding at the restaurant doors. Inside, it’s all hands on deck. The excitement is so intense you could cut it with a knife. Fortunately, the family has pitched in. René shares the kitchen with his father, his aunt Exélire reigns at the cash register while Hélène and her mother-in-law bustle about the dining room. Before getting started, a thousand and one details must be checked. The owners are nervous. The tension rises, the aroma of roast chicken grows stronger. They open. As if by magic, the stage fright disappears. Customers settle in, the din swells. The kitchen kicks into gear and the procession of dishes begins. A legend is being born quietly, without fanfare, among the clatter of dishes and casual conversations."

"Nevertheless, he has the soul of a go-getter. At the time he meets Hélène, René is playing water polo with Roland. A powerful and aggressive player, he scores goals and quickly becomes the backbone of the team. In this respect, he went to the right school. Three times champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, the young man has been practicing this noble discipline since his early childhood. The experience left an indelible mark on him: a winner’s temperament. When he starts something, he has only one thing in mind: to win. An ability that will prove very useful to him later."

"Hélène can be proud of how far she has come. St-Hubert Bar-B-Q has made its mark not only with the public but also among restaurant professionals. Driven by René, the rotisserie kitchen is constantly improving. This is also the result of teamwork. Indeed, René does not hesitate to consider suggestions from his employees… and to implement them when they prove effective. Thus, one day, one of his assistant cooks, Mr. Marcotte, draws his attention to something seemingly trivial. He is tired of buttering his rolls one by one with a brush. The task is tedious and takes too much time. While he is busy with this, he cannot do anything else. As a result, during the rush, he doesn’t know where to turn. To solve the problem, he proposes a curious solution. “What if we cut in half the small table where I butter my bread?” he asks his boss. “In the center, I would install a wringer roller and roll it over the butter. I would then just have to slide the rolls across it.” A week later, Mr. Marcotte’s table is installed. The invention makes everyone happy. Besides making the work easier and speeding up service, this device also allows the bread to be buttered more evenly. Such creativity benefits the customers, the restaurateur couple’s number one priority."

"The very next day, the Léger family puts up for sale the furniture in good condition that they have left and permanently leave the apartment on rue Chambord, which the disaster has rendered uninhabitable. Parents and children move in with the bare minimum of furniture to the tiny dwelling located above the rotisserie. Its cost is already included in the lease. So no more additional rent to pay for a roof! Of course, this is far from living like royalty. The family squeezes into two rooms. The parents sleep in the living room. As for the children’s bedroom, its furnishings are limited to a bunk bed. The rest of the space serves… as a storage room. In any case, Claire and Jean-Pierre hardly have the leisure to complain about it. To avoid another tragedy, Hélène and René decide to send their offspring to boarding school: Claire to the convent of Saint-Lambert, Jean-Pierre to Eulalie-Durocher College. It is the best solution for parents who are very busy trying to bail out their business."

"With few resources, the couple sets up a small cigarette business, hand-rolled cigarettes made in their home, which they have turned into a workshop. The scene is romantic. Tobacco dries everywhere in the kitchen. The children play while René, seated in his bed, uses the rolling machine and Hélène cuts the ends and packs the cigarettes. Business goes well thanks to their hard work and the loyal clientele of firefighters eager to help their former colleague."

"The conclusion is obvious: for their business to grow, it needs a sign, a large, giant one, visible from afar, easily recognizable, and advertising, lots of advertising. Since October 9, 1951, the Légers have done a little on the radio, on CKVL at a cost of $25 for 30 seconds. But it is not enough. Hélène easily convinces her husband. Innovation and boldness have never frightened René. But, once again, all this is expensive, very expensive. And yet, funds are dwindling day by day. What to do? The couple hardly has the leisure to reflect further. Another trial strikes the family just a few weeks after the taxi incident."

"The illuminated storefront of the snack bar advertises rotisserie chickens! The previous autumn, the business had been bought by a certain Mr. Defontel. The event had completely escaped the Léger family’s notice. There were several restaurants in the neighborhood. So, one more or one less, what difference did it make? Besides, it wasn’t a rotisserie, just a simple snack bar. So, no competition… until now. The Léger’s neighbor has been drawing part of the rotisserie’s clientele for several weeks, maybe even months. However, neither Hélène nor René, no doubt too absorbed in their own concerns, had noticed. What a lesson! What happens around the business matters as much as the business itself, the young woman realizes."

"In the days following the opening, Hélène is walking on air. The chickens are turning golden in the rotisserie. The kitchen is a buzzing hive. Drawn by the delicious smell, customers are flocking in. With its 78 seats, the small restaurant quickly becomes packed. The first weekend promises bright prospects: “Our first Saturday night is amazing,” the new owner notes in her journal. “It’s packed all night.” The young woman is overjoyed. She finally has her dream. The restaurant closes in the early hours of the morning. After all, you have to accommodate the hungry night owls pouring onto the pavement when the clubs close. In this early fifties era, Montreal is experiencing one of the liveliest nightlife scenes. Television has not yet been commercialized! So people go out more often. However, the Léger family is far from imagining just how providential the cathode-ray screen will one day be for them. Other more pressing concerns occupy their minds."

"The clientele. That’s where the problem lies: they need to find a solution to increase it, and quickly. Otherwise, what’s the point of serving the best chicken in the world with the brightest smile? And besides, the couple’s savings are melting away before their eyes. At this rate, the Légers will soon have to shut the doors. However, Hélène refuses to even consider such a possibility. Succumbing to discouragement is simply not like her. For her, hopeless causes do not exist. As for René, he doesn’t know the word “panic.” On the contrary, as a true athlete, it’s often when he’s backed into a corner that he performs at his best. A quality that will prove very useful in the coming months."

"Putting his experience to good use, René reorganizes the kitchen from top to bottom and applies a simple principle, which will become a model for his future rotisseries: “A busy kitchen doesn’t move!” Everyone stays at their station and no one crosses paths. It is the dishes, the food, that move, not the staff. Also, each employee is assigned two or three specific tasks that do not require them to roam around. The buzzing and anarchic hive is replaced by an orderly assembly line. Within a few days, everything falls into place. In the dining room, Hélène feels energized. This time, she’s sure, the rotisserie is here to stay."

"Getting ahead of the wave. René remembers the lessons from previous months. If he does not meet the demands of his customers, the competition will be happy to do so. All the human resources of St-Hubert Bar-B-Q—in other words, the entire Léger family!—were thus put to use. René hires his brother as a deliveryman and his father takes over order dispatch. During the week, Hélène or René handle the deliveries. Soon enough, though, the family workforce is not enough for the job. Demand continues to grow. Clearly, there is an opportunity here that deserves to be exploited on a larger scale. The idea is beginning to take shape in René’s mind. Of course, this requires an entire organization… and a significant investment—yet another one! Still, the business remains risky."

"Third step: give the only true rotisserie on Saint-Hubert Street the notoriety it deserves. Confident, René convinces Hélène to risk it all, that is, all the money the household has left, by organizing a big advertising campaign. Something never seen before for a restaurant. All his life, the co-founder of St-Hubert Bar-B-Q would maintain his belief in large-scale advertising. For him, it is one of the pillars of business success. Commonplace today, the strategy was bold and decidedly ahead of its time, especially for such modest merchants! But owning a tiny rotisserie doesn’t prevent the owners from thinking big."

"Like its competitors, St-Hubert Bar-B-Q provides delivery, but at the customer’s expense. In addition to the order, the customer must pay $2 or $3 for a taxi. However, at the time, this kind of extra charge is not within everyone’s budget. At this rate, the clientele risks plateauing quickly. René then has a flash of genius: why not deliver the chicken for free? Free delivery, the rotisserie owner believes, would encourage more people to place orders. In return, a sufficient flow of deliveries would allow the transportation costs to be spread among a larger number of people, in short, leading to substantial economies of scale. Even better, beyond a certain threshold, it is possible to make a profit. To make this service profitable, René calculates, they would need to deliver at least $1,000 in meals per week. The concept is revolutionary. Perhaps too much so. Hélène hesitates. If no one has ventured down this path yet, it’s probably because it leads nowhere. And what will they do if the orders are insufficient? Their business is only just starting to recover. Is it really the right time to get involved in another experimental project? In the end, the young woman agrees to “give it a shot.” You might as well strike while the iron is hot."

"Spring 1957. A restaurant adjoining the St-Hubert Bar-B-Q closes. What’s more, the building that housed it is put up for sale. For the Léger family, it’s now or never to expand their dining room. However, they don’t have the means to acquire the building. At least for now. Once again, Mr. Ménard comes to their rescue. Hélène and René convince their landlord to buy the building on their behalf. In exchange, the rotisserie owners will rent the premises from him for 10 years with a purchase option of $90,000. The agreement is signed in May. Once again, sleeves are rolled up at 6355 Saint-Hubert Street. Mr. Ménard’s building is turned upside down: a basement is dug, the framework is redone. The shared wall is knocked down to expand the rotisserie dining room. Ninety thousand dollars! The commitment is colossal; it requires constantly rising revenues. But the Léger family believes in their star more than ever. The events that follow will soon prove them right."

"One evening, while Hélène is resting at home, the phone rings. It’s the rotisserie. They need her to help out. The young woman heads there at once. It’s worth making the most of the crowd to provide the best service to as many people as possible. Word of mouth, their only advertising, will do the rest. Since René took the car, Hélène hails a taxi. “Drive me to St-Hubert Bar-B-Q!” she tells the driver. He takes her straight to… Mr. Rheault’s former restaurant, almost next door to the rotisserie. Sitting in her taxi, Hélène is shocked."