Léger family

"Second step: install a lighted sign to distinguish the rotisserie from its competitors. It’s a big investment. But the Léger family won’t have to spend any money to do so. In fact, the craftsman who makes them, a certain Mr. Green, believes enough in the future of the small business to offer the Legers credit. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll lose the sign, that’s all. If it works, you’ll pay me what it’s worth.” Deal concluded. Mr. Green will have no reason to regret his generous agreement. Not only will his clients pay the bill down to the last cent, but they will also later order from him a giant tuxedo-wearing rooster that will tower over the rotisserie’s roof for a long time."

"But far from crushing the Léger family, the ordeal energized them. To start, it revealed to René the unsuspected strengths of his wife. “It was above all an opportunity for me to discover my wife’s true personality, her courage,” he would later say. “She fully understood the situation I was in and all the troubles that might ensue for our little family. Yet, she never stopped encouraging me, constantly reminding me that it would all end one day…” As a result, the recovering man underwent a deep personal reevaluation."

"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."

"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."

"Unexplained incidents come back to her memory: several times, people told the Léger family that they had gone to their rotisserie without even seeing them. Intrigued, the couple couldn’t make sense of the story. Yet, they had been at the rotisserie on those evenings! Hélène finally understands the origin of the confusion: customers are confusing the two restaurants. Subsequently, the Léger family will notice that the other taxi drivers are making the same mistake. St-Hubert Bar-B-Q has only a modest neon sign in the window, nothing to distinguish it from its neighbor. That’s the rub: the Léger’s rotisserie lacks notoriety. Devoid of its own image, without real personality, it blends in with the mass of other restaurants."

"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."

"Starting in April, advertisements praising the merits of St-Hubert Bar-B-Q flood the airwaves during prime time. The Léger family simultaneously uses the services of three radio stations. This is a first in Quebec for restaurant owners. The name St-Hubert Bar-B-Q enters every Montreal household. The impact is immediate: one week after the start of the campaign, the company is no longer losing a single cent. Two weeks later, sales have jumped. Finally, the Léger family has the wind in their sails. After months of struggle, the ship is sailing smoothly. With sales of nearly $2,000 a week, the company’s break-even point is quickly surpassed. The Léger family too…"

"Soon, another advertisement will capture the popular imagination. Created by Jean Lesiège, owner of the Lesiège advertising agency, the jingle will become famous: “Dring! Dring! Dring! What do you want? Put! Put! Put! St-Hubert Bar-B-Q… In less than an hour that’s not much, our deliveryman will be at your house. Ring, ring, ring… A chicken at your door, put, put, put, St-Hubert Bar-B-Q!” It is so successful that people greet the drivers by humming it. Some even ask them to sing it! The Léger family has pulled off quite a feat: they created a bond with their customers in just a few months. In short, they find themselves in the big leagues. And that’s not just a turn of phrase."

"The rotisserie is experiencing another upheaval. It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last. The kitchen is being expanded and the basement is being renovated. In no time at all, the Léger family sets up a state-of-the-art delivery system, unique of its kind. Three telephones are installed to take orders, and the rotisserie acquires three cars to ensure deliveries. Of course, radio advertisements announce the good news. The move gets people talking. René becomes the laughingstock of the other shopkeepers. Free delivery? The small rotisserie on Saint-Hubert Street has really lost its mind. At the cost, they’d have to sell a lot of chicken… Impossible, it won’t last a month."

"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."

"A comforting element, the bosses work side by side with the staff, getting their hands dirty themselves, never shirking any task, even the humblest. Sharing the same work shifts inevitably creates strong bonds. Florent, for instance, quickly becomes fond of the Léger family and is inspired by their dedication. “If they can do it, I can do it too.” The esteem is mutual. His boss pushes him so much that after six months Florent is ready for a manager position. He’s not even twenty yet. No doubt this is one of René Léger’s strengths: knowing how to spot the talents that will help his business grow."

"As for human resources management, it too is undergoing its own revolution. Still in 1972, the company already has more than 1,000 employees. You cannot allow so many people to evolve in such a haphazard way. Career plans must be assured if you want to retain happy and motivated employees—one of the keys to St-Hubert’s success. The Léger family has long realized this: too much staff turnover is costly—training new employees comes at a price—in addition to hurting a certain consistency in servi"