The new name, which will officially be Le Déli, will open its doors in approximately three weeks. The new buyers, well established in Granby, are the owners and chefs of Attelier Archibald, Martin Gagnon and Laurent Godbout.
“We added the date [1971] below [du nouveau nom]this is the date on which Délicatessen opened,” explain the new holders of the place.
Martin Gagnon, new co-owner of the restaurant Le Déli. “We want to become the best delivery restaurant in town.” (Alain Dion/La Voix de l’Est Archives)
What motivated the two men to buy the building was the passion for catering in addition to the projects and challenges that surround this new experience.
“We love catering and we are project guys! We love it buildingthe kitchen is open concept, we could see that there was something to do here,” explains Mr. Gagnon.
“We really liked the building and it’s a great story to tell and continue to tell,” adds Laurent Godbout.
It was in 1971 that Alex, Gerry and Tony Digaletos decided to open Délicatessen Place Granby. (Archives La Voix de l’Est)
For Kosta Digaletos, one of the brothers who took over in 2003, seeing the sale of this building is a mix between a bit of nostalgia and relief.
“It’s a bit mixed. My dad turned 89, we lost our mother last January. We turn the page, we now want to be together as much as possible. It’s one less stress, yes, we will perhaps have other paths that will lead us elsewhere, but we were still in survival mode, it was very difficult.
— Kostas Digaletos, former co-owner of the restaurant Le Délicatessen Place Granby
As for the new buyers, they have a great bond and saw the opportunity to “go into business” again, together.
“We are going to seek out a completely different clientele than at l’Attelier. The prices are completely different and it’s not the same clientele. It’s also a great opportunity to have a me and him restaurant. [Laurent Godbout]», explains Mr. Gagnon.
New projects… and old recipes
The building includes a second floor which was used a lot at the time for receptions, weddings, parties Christmas, etc.
The new owners intend to bring this type of event back to life. The second floor has a bar and a reservation is already planned for 80 people in the coming weeks.
“We’re going to have spaghetti evenings, weddings, dance evenings, we’re going to rock the room,” exclaims Mr. Godbout.
Laurent Godbout, co-owner of Le Déli located at 302, rue Principale. In the photo, we see it on the second floor of the restaurant, behind the bar in the reception room. (Catherine Trudeau/La Voix de l’Est)
The new owners also promise that by purchasing the restaurant, nothing will be overlooked.
“We are two chefs. We will never neglect here because we go to the Attelier. And we will never neglect the Attelier because we come here. We have very good teams,” assures Mr. Gagnon.
In addition, for regular customers, favorite recipes will remain on the menu to the delight of everyone.
“We will continue to make smoke meat and pizza. We will add fresh pasta and a ready-to-eat grocery store. For example, you stop in the evening, you have a dish for four and it will be ready. Homemade sauces will also be on sale.”
— Laurent Godbout, co-owner of Le Déli
Michael Digaletos, who was one of the restaurant’s three owners, will remain with the team as an employee. According to Mr. Godbout, he had a good rapport with the customers “and everyone knows him”.
“We are also going to keep the Norman pizza, the spaghetti sauce recipe, we are not changing their recipe. We will even have a cocktail which will be called After 11 hours,” adds Mr. Godbout.
It must be said that at the time, alcohol was no longer served after 11 p.m. in Délicatessen restaurants. It was therefore served in a coffee cup so that it would go unnoticed. The acolytes found these cups and they will use them to serve this cocktail in homage to the former owners.
51 years of history
Kosta Digaletos says he has fond memories of the restaurant his father opened in 1971. (Kosta Digaletos/Tirée de Facebook)
Alex, Gerry and Tony Digaletos first rented the building where, at the time, the IGA Gingras was housed, which had been prey to the flames. It was in 1971 that they purchased and decided to open Délicatessen Place Granby.
“You should know that Alex Digaletos, my father, arrived in Quebec at the age of 16. He integrated, he learned the language too. The three brothers were in Montreal and they discovered that Granby was touristy and that there were not many restaurants,” says Kosta Digaletos.
The restaurant therefore continued its business with the same owners until 2003, when Jimmy, Kosta and Michael took over. It was the latter who ran the restaurant until very recently.
“With the pandemic, we survived, but with the cost of living, labor difficult to find and construction costs which exploded, it was made difficult. The lack of parking, the closed streets… at some point you have to choose your fight,” explains Mr. Digaletos.
He also adds that this was about the fifth time the family had tried to sell.
“I’m definitely going to miss the restaurant business. You know, I cleaned peppers when I was five! My dad would cut them to make pizzas for the day! When we didn’t have school, we would spend our days there.”
— Kosta Digaletos
He assures that he will go once in a while to eat smoked meat at the restaurant which will henceforth be called Le Déli.
For the moment, the opening hours will be the same as before, that is, Tuesday to Saturday, but the new owners plan for the restaurant to be open seven days a week.
