Brace yourselves, poutine fans. The Canadian poutine restaurant chain Smoke's Poutinerie has just entered Sudbury.
A small outlet opened this week at Laurentian University's cafeteria in the Fraser Building.
A larger restaurant is also expected to open in November in the former Quiznos location in the Rainbow Centre Mall in the downtown.
Signage is already up in the windows there. The restaurant chain expects to hire about 20 staff for the downtown location.
Smoke's started in Toronto in 2009 and now has more than 100 locations in Canada and is also making inroads in the U.S.
It's known for its “loaded” poutine, with various toppings available in addition to the traditional fries, cheese curds and gravy.
“I think it's exciting,” said Ben Demianiuk, director of housing and food services at Laurentian University. “I think any time we can add variety into our dining options and give students what they're looking for, it's great.
“Smoke's is a really fun brand, it's a very young and innovative brand. I really think it speaks to student culture, and it provides them with a lot more options on campus.”
The restaurant chain's founder, Ryan Smolkin, said he grew up on poutine in the Ottawa valley, and always loved loading unusual ingredients on top. That inspired his restaurant chain.
While he started with larger markets, he said he's thrilled to bring Smoke's to Northern Ontario, where there's already a poutine culture.
Smoke's is also likely coming to North Bay next spring. The franchise owner for the downtown Sudbury restaurant also owns a license for North Bay.
Smolkin also envisions opening small outlets at other northern post-secondary schools and perhaps even at the Canada Revenue Agency in Sudbury.
So how will the restaurant do in Sudbury? Smolkin said he recently opened a chain in health-conscious Berkley, California, where people know nothing about poutine, and 1,400 people visited the first day.
“It shows you if I can do this in the western U.S. — what do you think I can do in Sudbury, where people know their poutine, want it, crave it, they're dying to have it?” he said.
“That's what Sudbury needs — they need the injection of the gravy.”
