In a dramatic announcement Groupe Grandio will revive the iconic Moishes Restaurant with a brand new building at Meadowbrook Golf Course in Côte Saint-Luc.

Groupe Grandio, headed by Jean Bedard, owns Le Cage Brasserie Sportive chain. Then known as Groupe Sportscene, Groupe Grandio  purchased Moishes  on St. Laurent Blvd. from the Lighter family in December of 2018. Two years later Moishes shut its doors at the start of the pandemic as the building and parking lot were sold. Original plans called for Moishes to resurface in a downtown location.

The new Moishes.

Last summer Bedard joined friends for a game of golf at Meadowbrook. He had never been there before. When he saw all of the available parking spaces and the large clubhouse space that has not been abandoned for years, the light bulb went off in his head.

Since zoning is already in place for a commercial building, Bedard’s team will be submitting architectural plans to the city imminently so renovations can commence and the revived Moishes can be back in business by the fall.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein met with Bedard and pledged to have the portion of Côte St. Luc Road closest to Meadowbrook completely repaved. “Who has not loved Moishes Restaurant?” Brownstein asked. “I have so many fabulous memories from family dinners there. What a  dream it is to bring this famous institution to our community.”

Bedard said that during golf season, Moishes will be open for lunch with a more modest menu. He said discussions with Meadowbrook Groupe Pacifique, owners of the course, went very well. In fact, he is not dismissing the possibility of Groupe Grandio purchasing the entire Meadowbrook property.

“I must admit,” said Bedard, “one of my bucket list items has always been to have my own golf course. I see this becoming a Golf and Country Club.”

Bedard is extremely well connected. He is already talking to the Montreal Canadiens to hold their charity golf tournament there.

With new owners, a new location, and new clientele, what  will make the new Moishes Moishes?

“What we're trying to do is to keep the iconic items of Moishes there,”  Bedard said. “I think that we’re keeping the DNA of the past, but we’re bringing Moishes into the future which is a very delicate operation.

The menu will evolve too, he told CTV. “The winners will stay there,” he said. “You know, the pickles, the famous coleslaw, the steaks, obviously, but I think we can go a little bit further, maybe in terms of a fish” option, he said. “People are eating very differently.”

Oh yes, while this would be an absolutely remarkable development, it is appearing on this blog on April 1. So April Fool’s Day to all!

AND  I have it on good authority that a formal announcement of a new Moishes location will be announced soon.