Le Gourmet Burger
A build-your-own burger concept I launched in Montreal, built around wood-charcoal cooking, freshly ground beef, and pure-butter brioche. I created it with franchising in mind from the beginning.
Seeing the opportunity
Burgers were everywhere, at the heart of some of the biggest franchise chains in the world and on restaurant menus well beyond fast food. As familiar foods were being reimagined with better ingredients and more care, I saw room to do the same with the burger.
Before gourmet burgers became a major trend, I wanted to create a better version of something people already loved. Freshly ground beef, proper bread, charcoal cooking, and the freedom to build your own, at a price that kept it accessible.
Building the concept
The foundation was simple: freshly ground beef cooked over wood charcoal, served in a pure-butter brioche bun initially made by a French bakery. From there, customers built their own burger with a choice of cheeses, sauces, toppings, and condiments.
It was a small restaurant with a lot of possibilities. You could keep it simple or put together something completely your own. Fries, sweet potato fries, poutine, and chili rounded out the menu, along with lemonade, homemade iced tea, and classic sodas. For dessert, we had brownies and vanilla ice cream.
Building the business
I was the sole owner of the original restaurant. I developed the concept and built the business, working with the team to bring it to life day to day.
The restaurant became a hit, with customer lineups and a busy delivery business. Food writers and bloggers started covering us, and within a few months we had a wall of articles in the restaurant.
As the business grew, I started Fourchette, a catering company with a central production kitchen. There, we began making our own brioche buns and condiments for Le Gourmet Burger.
Year after year, we earned top-three finishes at Le Burger Week and La Poutine Week in Montreal. We also received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.
From Montreal to other markets
Franchising was part of the plan from the start. Within a few years, our first franchise opened in Morocco, and other locations followed.
Through LGB Food and Beverage, I developed the concept for international expansion, adapting the format and building the operating systems needed to support it. That expansion also led to Le Gourmet Café, a separate concept built around coffee, pastries, and desserts.
The food and the recognition
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