An old box of St-Hubert chicken, found by chance in the attic of a chalet in the region, was given to the Martin family, the first restaurant franchisees in the Quebec region, in exchange for a donation of $1000.
“It’s really nostalgia for us,” says Pierre Martin, co-franchisee of the 11 St-Hubert restaurants in the Quebec region.
On November 6, Mr. Martin and his brother Jean purchased the box from François Béliveau, a merchant in the field of collectibles.
A recognized collector in Quebec, Mr. Béliveau has been interested for 25 years in objects relating to advertisements of yesteryear.
It was precisely after being called by the family of a deceased person to evaluate old signs and advertising signs in an old chalet located in the Lac Clément area, near Stoneham, that he came across the old box chicken.
The old St-Hubert chicken box was discovered in an old chalet near Stoneham.
Photo provided by Francois Béliveau
“After the assessment, we went up to the second floor, there was a door in the wall which was used as a storage room. There were lots of things, old boxes, old toys and the box, lying around. They agreed to give it to me. It was damaged and I fixed it up,” explains the collector, adding that the promotional items from yesteryear from the St-Hubert rotisseries are very popular among his peers in Quebec.
Around ten offers
After posting it on Facebook and receiving around ten offers, the highest of which was $350, he was contacted by a member of the Martin family, interested in getting their hands on it.
Refusing to sell to them, Mr. Béliveau instead asked franchisees to make a donation to the Élan Foundation, which helps people with physical disabilities.
“I wanted it to come back to them,” explains Mr. Béliveau.
The Martins therefore chose to give a check for $1,000 to the Foundation.
Brothers Jean (left) and Pierre Martin (right) got their hands on the old can of St-Hubert chicken in exchange for a $1,000 donation to the Élan foundation, helping people with disabilities.
Photo provided by Francois Béliveau
For Pierre Martin, this box brings back a lot of memories.
It was his father Claude and his uncle, Marcel Martin, who founded the restaurant chain in Quebec in 1967.
The famous box of yesteryear was also sold in the very first restaurant in Quebec, located in the shopping center on rue des Chênes, near the Colisée. The establishment closed its doors in 1986.
“I remember when my father opened, I must have been eight years old at the time, and it seems to me that he told me that there were five restaurants in Montreal […] As it is indicated on the box that there are twelve in Montreal, I think that the box could have been used around the 70s or 72,” says Mr. Martin.
The box was taken to the company’s headquarters on Rue des Rocailles. Mr. Martin wishes to display it, with other objects from yesteryear, at the entrance.
