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The ‘matante’ that launched a thousand ships: Lafleur's 63-year-old fast food cashier, Lucie

How one classic, family-run business’s franchise rooted in Quebec’s fast-food history made a broader cultural shift in restaurant marketing their own.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

October 22, 2024- Read time: 7 min
The ‘matante’ that launched a thousand ships: Lafleur's 63-year-old fast food cashier, LuciePhotograph: Courtesy Lafleur

The best greasy spoons and snack bars of Montreal are often valued according to how they haven’t adapted to the times, as though resisting social media was some revered badge of timelessness. Those coming about-face on using those new marketing tools, however, often face a maze of platform variety, trends to follow, aesthetics, influencers, optimized posting times, and a whole slew of other terms and tactics.

When they try and fail, no one knows. When they succeed, it’s noteworthy.

Lafleur has been part of Montreal’s stamp on casse-croûte culture since 1951. Up until the Internet really made its indelibility known to restaurateurs in the 2000s, a fast food chain like this one could lean on serving poutine, hot dogs, and putting out the occasional TV ad.

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