Schwartz's Hebrew Deli in Montreal being sold .

[uweschiffke]

I read Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen in Montreal is rumored to being sold to a group of investors including Celine Dion and her husband Rene. For 10 Million billygoats.

If this is true and the group decides to franchise, this could be pretty good if Toronto can get a location. And they can keep up to the current standards offered at the Montreal St Laurent location. If you've never been to Schwartz's, it's quite the experience.

Cannot find a decent smoked meat sandwich in Toronto.

btw, didn't Celine Dion try her hand in restaurants with the Nickels franchise ?

[Pete_Coach]

I read Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen in Montreal is rumored to being sold to a group of investors including Celine Dion and her husband Rene. For 10 Million billygoats.

If this is true and the group decides to franchise, this could be pretty good if Toronto can get a location. And they can keep up to the current standards offered at the Montreal St Laurent location. If you've never been to Schwartz's, it's quite the experience.

Cannot find a decent smoked meat sandwich in Toronto.

btw, didn't Celine Dion try her hand in restaurants with the Nickels franchise ?

http://www.themarknews.com/articles/8132-celine-dion-s-husband-buys-schwartz-s-deli

[iridium001]

This could go four ways:

1) It stays in Montreal and the quality goes down/stays the same
2) It expands beyond Montreal and quality is preserved/quality sucks

Chances are, the current location will be renovated to fit more patrons. The way it is now is too cramped!

[rageking]

part of the reason why the meats are good might be the water, and the local ingredients they put in, or even the smoke chamber used for decades that carry certain good bacteria.

Trying to replicate all this might not work out.

[shannn]

This could go four ways:

1) It stays in Montreal and the quality goes down/stays the same
2) It expands beyond Montreal and quality is preserved/quality sucks

Chances are, the current location will be renovated to fit more patrons. The way it is now is too cramped!

It will probably be a multi-stage project to expand the store front, expand to a couple other places in Montreal, and then probably to other major urban cities in Canada, (then maybe to NYC to compete with Katz, lol)

Okay, I doubt they'll move to NYC, but they'll probably expand around Canada.

But, yea, I really hope the quality doesn't go down, but I can't really see the quality staying the same if they expand.

[slowtyper]

Wow this is big news. Pretty sure they will be opening more across Canada if it happens.

I really want to know what the conditions of the sale were...like how long the owner will train the new guys how to do everything, all the secrets, etc.

[jayt90]

Schwartz has maintained quality since 1928 through a succession of owners, some of them not Jewish, and this has been credited to their recipe, loyal staff, and an old unchanged smoker.

If they start to make MSM off site, and commercially, the quality will suffer. But I'll wager the new owners want to cash in on the name, and expand the business.

Nickel's in Ajax lasted about 5 years before it was leveled and an Il Fornello built on the same spot.

[the_fm]

the previous owner of schwartz wanted to expand and open another location in montreal but there was a public outcry over it and they scrapped that project. the new owners will probably renovate but thinking of expanding? guaranteed of another public outcry

[duckdown]

I don't really know if any good can come of this but frankly they aren't my favorite smoked meat in Montreal anyways.. I always go across the street to The Main instead of Schwartzs and there's many more in Quebec that are better as well (IMO)

[packardbell]

we all know that **** hole is not worth 10 mil but if rene can turn around and sell it for 25 mil :) then why not.

we all know he is in it to make money,

[mjl_toronto]

No, no, no. You got this all wrong.

Rene is only buying future stock of smoked meat sandwiches to guarantee his appetite will be satiated far beyond his death bed. :lol:

Joking aside, Schwartz's won't be Schwartz's unless it's from the original location. They're identity is too entrenched in their location and surrounding atmosphere that I wouldn't care for them elsewhere.

[uweschiffke]

Didn't Shwartz's invent Montreal Steak Spice. Same stuff they use to brine their briskets in ?

[slowtyper]

the previous owner of schwartz wanted to expand and open another location in montreal but there was a public outcry over it and they scrapped that project. the new owners will probably renovate but thinking of expanding? guaranteed of another public outcry

Are you sure about that? I don't know much about it at all, but I've always read that the owners were very against expanding.

[Supercooled]

part of the reason why the meats are good might be the water, and the local ingredients they put in, or even the smoke chamber used for decades that carry certain good bacteria.

Trying to replicate all this might not work out.

Is that why cheese and wine are so good from certain regions of the world? I wouldn't necessarily discount places like Niagara on the Lake or certain parts of California for their wines but comparing their stuff to say the French is like comparing say, good meats with stuff from Pillars.

[jayt90]

Didn't Shwartz's invent Montreal Steak Spice. Same stuff they use to brine their briskets in ?
The briskets are not brined, but hand rubbed, which is not great for mass production.
Wiki says they did invent Montreal Steak Spice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_steak_seasoning

[the_fm]

Are you sure about that? I don't know much about it at all, but I've always read that the owners were very against expanding.

yep, i'm sure. one of the previous owner (i think it was, not the previous one, but the one before them) wanted to expand but because of the outcry, it got scrapped right away

[matdwyer]

Oh nice, maybe they'll get cash registers!

Or maybe even Debit?

Could we even get credit card as a payment?

Say it ain't so!