Miranda and her friend Kate were generously invited to the grand introduction of Chef Martin Juneau to Benny&Co. in Old Montreal. There was excitement in the air, the grand unveiling of the fried chicken burger with jalapeños created by Chef Martin Juneau set all hungry eyes upon this new creation. The chicken burger has always been in the backdrop for chicken restaurants unless chicken burgers are your main meal. Benny&Co. with the help of Chef Martin Juneau has created a far superior chicken burger that comes to the forefront as a standalone meal.
Benny&Co., Quebec’s largest family-owned rotisserie chain, is now present in downtown Montreal with the opening of its 66th rotisserie, marking the launch of its new restaurant concept. Entirely elaborated by the 3rd generation of the Benny family, this concept involved more than two and a half years of development and will offer a renewed customer experience that reflects Benny&Co’s vision for the future.
The modern concept unveiled today is an evolution of the banner’s original restaurant created in 2006 and will be deployed throughout the chain. It will promote the expansion of Benny&Co. rotisseries in urban centres in Quebec and Ontario, unlike the previous restaurant model, which was more suited to large suburban locations.
“This new concept was initially intended to offer a renewed experience only to clients in large urban centres, where square footage is more limited. The pandemic gave us an extra year to complete an internal assessment, rethink the project and revise our plans. What started out as an urban concept has become Benny&Co.’s concept for the future, with a whole different image,” said Elisabeth Benny, Vice-President, Marketing and Public Relations of Benny&Co.
Participating in the revival of downtown
Benny&Co. is proud to participate in the revival of the downtown area and is introducing a brand new location where customers can enjoy the Benny family’s authentic rotisserie chicken. The opening of the three Montreal restaurants represents an investment of $4.5 million and will lead to the creation of 100 jobs. Benny&Co. Ville-Marie, located at 1175 Robert-Bourassa Blvd., is now offering counter and delivery services. Benny&Co. Rosemont, located at 450 Beaubien Street East, and Benny&Co. St-Jacques, located at 201 St-Jacques Street, will open in the summer of 2021.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hit downtown Montreal hard, but it did not affect its attractiveness, as demonstrated by Benny&Co.’s decision to open two new rotisseries in the city centre. The economic recovery of Montreal and its downtown area is underway, and we are confident that, with the contribution of partners like Benny&Co., we can make it a success,” said Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal.
“We are very pleased that Benny&Co., a Quebec-based family business, has chosen downtown Montreal to unveil its new restaurant concept and vision. This is further proof that, despite the pandemic, downtown remains the place to invest. Benny&Co’s project and innovative business model will certainly contribute to the vitality of the downtown area,” added Glenn Castanheira, Executive Director of Montréal centre-ville.
“Reflecting Benny&Co.’s identity in a smaller space, while improving the ambiance and customer experience in the dining room was a challenge we were able to meet. It’s an important adaptation of our business model that opens the door to new opportunities” added Nicolas Filiatrault and Jean-Christophe Benny, respectively Vice-President, Finance and Administration, and Director, Market Development of Benny&Co.
A new customer experience in a more mature atmosphere
Benny&Co. offers a modern and refined dining room with a bar area featuring a sound and lighting ambiance that will be adapted throughout the day. Also, a new counter will offer ready to-eat meals to go, which is ideal for customers in a hurry.
Benny&Co. continued its collaboration with local partners, including Drumco Construction for the execution of the building work, Pic-Bois Design for the creation of the latest custom furniture, and AX Design and Ogilvy Montreal for the concept development.
“We were inspired by the Benny family’s values and the result is a concept that is decidedly friendly, warm and authentic! The use of natural and ecological materials, such as wooden tables, concrete and brick walls, as well as handcrafted and locally made lighting fixtures, will make the place one of the most welcoming in town,” said Annie Giroux, President and Founder of AX Design, who works with the family business for over 20 years.
“Our collaboration with our local partners continues both in terms of design and sourcing. Our menu remains the same but will feature an up-to-date presentation of the dishes in the dining room. We are calling it our comfortable food service, which means the customer places their order at the counter or at the table via their smartphone, and then a waiter delivers the food to the table. We are very much looking forward to the reopening of our dining rooms to introduce this new experience to our customers,” added Marc-Antoine Benny, Vice-President, Procurement of Benny&Co.
In addition to the two other restaurants slated to open soon in Montreal, new restaurants will also open in Drummondville, Magog, and Terrebonne in 2021.
About Benny&Co.
Benny&Co., Quebec’s largest family rotisserie, with a network of 66 branches in Quebec and Ontario specializes and excels in roasting chicken with its exclusive three-hour slow-roasting technique developed by cofounder Gilles Benny. Rotisserie chicken specialist since 1960, the fourth-generation company is still 100% owned by members of the Benny family and employs more than 2,100 people. Benny&Co. sells more than nine million rotisserie chicken meals per year and is recognized by the Aliments du Québec au menu. To find out more: www.bennyco.com.
