Almost every week, customers come to the counter of the snack bar Chez Micheline in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures to order Chinese noodles, whose reputation is well established.
But there is no more, and there will be no more.
“It’s been a good seller for so long. On the other hand, it’s over for good,” says Mr Renauld.
This exciting snack meal had carved a choice spot on the menu, even before poutine. Chinese noodles were part of Chez Micheline’s DNA. However, the owner was at a crossroads. It was time to make a choice.
“The population in the area we are in has increased considerably, and so has the demand. The industrial park a few blocks from here also provides energy for lunchtime. We must ensure fast service at all times, and therefore we must increase productivity,” says Mr. Renauld.
The restaurant only had a wok for cooking Chinese noodles. And like it or not, it just took up too much space for one dish. Faced with the high demand for poutine and hamburgers, the owner had no choice but to get rid of them.
“It was a difficult decision to make during the pandemic. We were unsure of what would happen next and about our ways of doing things. So we decided to reorganize the kitchen and prioritize our other meals that are as popular as noodles , if not more,” he explains.
If Pierre Renauld lacks space for the wok, it is because he wants to keep the character of the snack left by his father. The latter opened the establishment in 1966 in an old damaged bus. An Expo Québec trailer was annexed a few years later.
“I want us to remain a potato hut. I have no plans to expand or modernize. I want to keep our typical facade, that is what has given Chez Micheline its charm and popularity since our beginning.”
— Pierre Renauld, owner of Chez Micheline
There are no miracle recipes to cross the ages. The snack bar along Route 138 achieves this by staying authentic and simple.
“Everything is homemade, as we did 50 years ago. We make our fries, our meatloaf mix, everything! Our cheese is also fresh daily. We kept the original recipes and that is what the customers appreciate,” says the owner.
Like his father, he gets his potatoes from Île d’Orléans. They have been trading with the same local farm for about 40 years. Pierre Renauld needs between 15 and 20 bags of potatoes daily to meet the high demand. It serves fresh fries blanched the same day.
“The temperature dictates the crowds. So far it’s been a good year. The early spring helped us tremendously. We couldn’t ask for better,” he says.
The ones who saved the snack
Although the snack bar is running at full capacity, it was very close to closing its doors for a while. Or at least to significantly reduce opening hours.
Pierre Renauld took over the reins of the family restaurant some 24 years ago. But the last few years have been his hardest. He was terribly short of weapons.
Its establishment is open from mid-April to the end of October. He has no problem finding labor during the school holidays, but the youngsters are still in school for more than half of his season.
“So the foreign workers saved the restaurant. Today, we still need labor from other places. I’ve had four in the kitchen for five years. Without them, we could forget the snack.”
— Pierre Renauld
After all, the latter must invest countless hours for almost eight months. “You don’t have the choice to like it, but I wouldn’t be able to do that all year round. During our downtime we watch the kids play hockey,” says Mr Renauld.
Oh, by the way, who is Micheline? “It’s my father’s secret,” he slips with a smile.
