The Old Four are celebrating their 40th birthday at St. Vincent de Paul

Le Vieux Four de Laval, a well-known restaurant on the Île Jésus, celebrates its 40th anniversary^H Anniversary at a ceremony on 15 June.

Many friends and loyal customers of the restaurant were present for the occasion, a matter of recalling the many memories lived at 5070, avenue Lévesque est, in Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.

“It was a huge challenge, which we tackled brilliantly,” says event owner Marie-France Manago. It was a uniform evening that turned into a magical moment.

Historical

Marie-France Manago took over the family restaurant in 2000. However, she has been working there since it was opened by her parents Antonio and Beret Manago in 1983, which saw the arrival of pizza cooked in a wood-oven on the island.

“I remember the day before opening when we ironed the tablecloths and redecorated the place with relatives,” she said. “We were in the unknown, but everyone was participating.”

At the time, she didn’t see herself making a career in the restaurant business. Instead, she was considering becoming an actress or working in the arts. A sentence from his mother, however, changed everything: “Make this restaurant your stage.”

“After that, nothing stopped me, the owner assures. I did all kinds of themed parties.

From his point of view, the loyalty of employees and customers is at the heart of the success of this Laval establishment.

Marie-France Manago also confirms the longevity of its director Johann and her husband Martin, who have worked for the company for 36 and 30 years, respectively.

“We have always welcomed customers like family,” she adds. Many will tell you that we are their second family, their office, or the place they go when they have something to celebrate. We’ve now reached three generations of customers.”

memories

Many memories have been created during 40 years in the business. Of these, Ms. Manago notes the 10^H Memory of a restaurant.

My mother always remembers that she would like to go to a white ball. I organized this without his knowledge. The staff was dressed in white and robes. The Fiori Orchestra was in the restaurant. Everything was perfect. When my parents arrived, they started crying.

You also remember closing a section of Lévesque Boulevard East for the 10 a.m. event. Traditional dances, sausages cooked on site, inflatable structures and ice cream stands: it was all there.

“We also simulated the year 2000 in advance,” she says. My kids were dressed as robots and the staff was wearing foil. It was special when the customers entered the restaurant.”

We should also note the Guinness World Record attempt for the largest number of pizzas served in record time, which caused long lines.

The future of the restaurant

When asked about the future of the restaurant, Marie-France Manago laughed, saying that she should not be the owner of the restaurant anymore when celebrating fiftieth.^H holiday. She believes she has “completed the loop” during past ceremonies.

“It doesn’t stop us from continuing to give ourselves body and soul as long as we are in the restaurant. We are passionate and never give up. I think that has been our strength since the beginning.”