Peter Black
April 24, 2024
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
After an absence of three years, food and drink service is returning to the pavilion on the Plains of Abraham next to the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand.
The new operator of the concession will be La Maison Smith, a familiar player in the city’s restaurant community. The Plains location will be the family-run company’s 11th coffee shop in the city.
The cafe is expected to open on June 8, once renovations to the pavilion are completed. La Maison Smith will also provide a food truck and an “espresso bike” to reach less accessible areas.
Mathilde Plante St-Arnaud, one of the three co-owners of La Maison Smith, explained why the company bid for the Plains location: “For 10 years, we have carefully selected the sites where each coffee shop is established. The Plains of Abraham are emblematic and we see the opportunity to promote the city of Quebec by combining our offer with the exceptional site.”
Plante St-Arnaud said the existing pavilion’s interior will be renovated in line with La Maison Smith’s typical decor, but “we always immerse ourselves in the environment where we set up. We have a few weeks to put the interior of the pavilion in our image while respecting the character of the Plains.”
Katherine Laflamme, director of marketing and development for the National Battlefields Commission, said in an April 18 news release the partnership with La Maison Smith “will enhance the experience of visitors to the Plains of Abraham throughout the year. We are excited to provide a wide variety of high-quality food to people visiting the site to discover its history, have fun, play their favourite sport or simply enjoy the park.”
Some four million people visit the Plains park each year.
The Plains cafe will be open year-round, with the daily operating schedule adjusted to events in the park and the demands of the tourism season. There will be interior seating for 55 people and outdoor seating for 50. The cafe will serve alcoholic beverages as well as hot drinks.
La Maison Smith opened its first coffee shop in Place Royale in 2013, in a building erected in 1653 and occupied for many years by businessman Charles Smith and his family.
Since then, it has added outlets in Old Quebec and around the city. It also recently took over restaurant space in the Centre des congrès de Québec. Its food truck has become a regular sight at major events.
The company has a coffee roasting facility at its location in Limoilou. It has a workforce of some 270 employees.
Plante St-Arnaud said the company’s rapid success and expansion are due to putting “all our energies in the quality of the product and service. Roasting and training are two key elements. In addition, the choice of each location is decisive.”
Plante St-Arnaud recently became a co-owner in the company where she has served as executive director since it was founded by Jerome Turgeon and Veronic Pelletier in 2013.
She said, “It’s sometimes hard to believe for Jérôme and I that we have reached 11 coffee shops and a [food truck] in 10 years. But we keep pace with the demands thanks to an incredible team who support us, who grow with us and who are the foundation of the company.”
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PHOTOS BELOW
Mathilde Plante St-Arnaud, co-owner of La Maison Smith; Johanne Laflamme of the National Battlefields Commission, and co-owners Jerome Turgeon and Veronic Pelletier stand before the pavilion near the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand, the future location of the popular café.
Photo courtesy of La Maison Smith/Noemie Rochette
A Maison Smith “espresso bike” will be pedaling coffee to visitors to the Plains.
Photo courtesy of La Maison Smith