Success story – L’Oeufrier masters more than word “joeufs”

L'Oeufrier calls itself the “official inventor” of breakfast poutine.

In 20 years, the Quebec chain of breakfast restaurants L'Œufrier has cooked a lot of eggs. Now with 40 branches in the province, it continues to attract more and more brunchers, as evidenced by its 25% growth last year. At the head of this small breakfast empire, Pedro Medina, president of the La Büff group, which notably put breakfast poutine on the map. Maintenance.

Restaurants L'Œufrier by numbers:

– 50 M$: channel revenue
– 40: number of branches in Quebec
– 7 other branches are expected to open in 2023
– 34: number of franchised restaurants
– 1400: number of employees across Quebec

L'Œufrier restaurants is first and foremost a story of friendship between you and two of your childhood friends, Tony Khoury and Kevin Henriques. You decided to join them in 2008 when they owned the first L’Œufrier restaurant in Laval. Why did you choose to venture into the restaurant business?

“I have always had an appreciation for the restaurant world. I started working in Harvey's restaurants when I was young. I then turned to the banking world, but I always stayed in contact with Tony and Kevin. For years, I told my wife that I was going to start one day. She told me I had to do it when I turned 30. I then gravitated towards Tony and Kevin because I had a bond of trust with them. It was my way of entering the world of catering.”

In 2018, you founded the La Büff group together. How did you manage to survive during the pandemic, when it’s been a difficult time for the restaurant industry?

“We already had a momentum that was quite strong before the pandemic; 2017, 2018 and 2019 were big years for us. The restaurant industry is a difficult world, but if you get into it a little bit and you can create a solid foundation, people start coming to you, and that's what happened with L’Eufrier. During the pandemic, we still opened nine restaurants. Our turnover was constantly increasing.”

There are still a lot of breakfast restaurants in Quebec, what sets you apart from other restaurants?

“We try to have a formula that is not always the same with a wide product offer. We offer a different experience than other restaurants, and I think the customers see it. For example, we have 16 different types of grilled cheese on our menu. The menu is also playful with political games inside and lots of Quebecois expressions. Customers remember it and make it a talking point.

We are also very established in the neighborhoods of Montreal. I love neighborhoods like Villeray, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Mont-Royal. The fact of being located in neighborhoods where people can come and walk to our house, nearby, I like it a lot.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by L'Oeufrier (@loeufrier)

You announced an annual partnership with Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec (ANEB) last week. Was it important for you to have such collaboration in relation to eating disorders?

“We often look for causes to defend, but it has to be important for us. In this case, the eating disorder chose me. My daughter had been struggling with eating disorders for several years; it was very difficult for us in our family, especially her.

There are many people with eating disorders in our society. It is necessary to talk about it. ANEB helps families who are at a loss. Just being able to understand and being there for that person can offer some form of help.

We are trying to establish a long-term partnership with ANEB. Our Poutine Week, which took place from February 1 to 14, allowed us to donate $1 to the organization for each sale of our poutine Elvis Gratton at Santa Banana. We want to continue on this line.”