The ARQ celebrates 85 years of action

The Association Restauration Québec (ARQ) will be blowing out its 85 candles in a few days, on June 6. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the history of the largest restaurant industry association in Québec, which has nearly 5 000 members!

The ARQ was born on June 6, 1938, under the name of Quebec Provincial Restaurant Association. It was under the impetus of some fifteen restaurant owners who wanted to counter provincial legislation introducing a sales tax on meals that it was created. At the time, the government in power wanted this tax to be included in the price of the meal without appearing separately on the bill.

With the Second World War raging, food rationing and a labour shortage forced restaurant groups to concentrate their efforts at the federal level. Since Ottawa did not want to deal with provincial groups (only Québec had them) or with individual restaurateurs, a decison was made to create the Canadian Restaurant Association (CRA), under the presidency of Mr. Léo Dandurand. It should be noted that this man, who was very involved in professional sports in Montréal (president of the Montreal Canadiens from 1921 to 1935), was also president of another group of Montréal restaurateurs that had been formed in 1941 under the name “Corporation des restaurateurs du Québec”. After the war, the restaurateurs of Québec dissociated themselves from the CRA and returned to their original idea of an autonomous professional group.

Rapid Growth

It was not until the mid-1950s that the Association developed more intensively. The mandate, objectives and functioning were rethought, resulting in a complete reorganization. In 1965, the Association took the name it has retained until 2018: Association des restaurateurs du Québec. In the late 1970s, the ARQ took an important step in its development by organizing its first Salon Rest-Hôte in Québec City in 1979.

For 32 years, this vast trade show was a must for the entire industry. The last show was held in 2011. The following year, the Salon ARQ Contacts activity took over. By proposing an afternoon of networking and a meeting with suppliers from the region visited, the ARQ was right, once again. The various activities held across the province are a real success.

Purchasing Program And New Image

Another successful initiative is the Plu$ Preferred Purchasing Program (PAPP in French). Created in 2006, this purchasing group has grown from just over 200 members to nearly 3 000 members sharing more than $6.3 million in 2021-2022.

In 2018, the ARQ changed its name to Association Restauration Québec with a new modern logo and a new, more unifying slogan: “Restaurants in all their forms”. The Association wanted to include all types of restaurants, from tourist attractions to caterers and ski resorts.

FROM NATURAL WINE TO COVID-19

In terms of defending the industry’s interests in the face of the various laws and regulations governing the practice of the profession, which all too often turn it into an administrative headache, the ARQ has stood up for itself in a number of cases (details opposite).

Today, the ARQ has become a key player in political issues affecting the restaurant industry in Québec (regulations, prevention, economic development and training). It is a privileged and respected interlocutor.

After 85 years of existence, the ARQ is proud of the missions it has accomplished and is enthusiastic about the idea of serving its members in the coming years, which we hope will be many!

Hats Off To A Trio Of Builders

The ARQ would not be what it is without three men who have helped it grow for over 30 years, from the mid-1980s to the present day. This trio, composed of Bernard Fortin, CEO from 1984 to 2014, Alain Mailhot, current CEO and with the ARQ since 1986, and François Meunier, Vice-President, Public and Government Affairs of the ARQ, who retired in December 2021 after 35 years with the ARQ, have led the organization to the highest summits and made it an important, essential and indispensable association.