The tweaking has begun: dark brown walls have been brightened with ivory paint; frozen fries have been replaced with fresh. The paper placemat menus will stay. “Gordon wants to keep it very casual,” she says. They’ll close for a few months to renovate in January, adding 135 spots upstairs and a bar downstairs. Nothing slick, says Couture: “Someplace comfortable to eat or have a conversation or even dine alone, more like you’re in Europe.” Closing time will be extended from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. to draw the after-theatre crowd and chefs after work. “We’ll have to hire younger staff,” says Couture. There’s already talk of expansion, though not in Quebec, where St-Hubert BBQ dominates the market. “But other provinces are a possibility,” she says. “Other countries, too.”
Lavy alludes to the venture dovetailing with a new “Gordon Ramsay lifestyle” launch next year to include a food line and in-store shops in the Bay and Kmart and Sears in the U.S. He’s loath to discuss the details of the partnership: “That’s private,” he says.
Ramsay was unavailable for an interview, which isn’t surprising. His media access tends to be limited to promotional appearances. Even then, journalists routinely sign waivers promising not to ask financial or personal questions. As for how much time the great chef will spend at his latest namesake, even Couture is uncertain. “But for sure he’ll be a presence,” she says. But of course he will, even when he’s not there: his name is on the building.
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