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Ambre prepares orders of poutine at Ashton\u2019s Complexe Desjardins location on opening day, Monday, August 10, 2026. This is Ashton\u2019s first entry into the Montreal market since the 1980s. Tim Snow \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nFor 57 years, Ashton has been a Quebec City habit. On Monday, Montreal got a taste.<\/p>\n
The fast-food chain, founded in 1969 and best known for its poutine, opened its first location on the island at Complexe Desjardins, following a Mirabel opening last year and decades after an earlier, short-lived attempt to crack the Montreal market. <\/p>\n
Since buying Ashton from founder Ashton Leblond in 2022, current owners \u00c9mily Adam and Jean-Christophe Lirette have increasingly turned to franchising to take the once deeply regional brand beyond its Quebec City base \u2014 first to Mirabel in 2025, and now into Montreal itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe model was really geared towards corporate-based restaurants,\u201d said Vincent White, marketing director for Ashton Group.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was easier to manage the corporate chain of restaurants from Quebec City, where the head office was,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now, White explains, \u201cthe fact that it\u2019s a franchisee-based model\u201d and the company has a larger team means Ashton can support restaurants farther from home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really what made the difference,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n
The Complexe Desjardins restaurant is operated by franchisee Simon Robitaille, and White said it will not be the chain\u2019s last push into the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking at more locations,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin the coming months, we should be able to announce something new again for the Greater Montreal area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashton tried the Montreal market once before, in the 1980s, but the experiment did not last.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very short-lived,\u201d White said. \u201cLooking back, I think maybe it was more on the sourcing front.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the \u201980s to now, it\u2019s just such a long time ago. It\u2019s a completely different team and a different structure now. It\u2019s very, very solid now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company got a more recent test of the Montreal-area market when it opened at Premium Outlets Montreal in Mirabel in 2025. White said that location is performing particularly well during the summer, when the outlet centre draws tourists and shoppers.<\/p>\n
But moving onto the island presents another question: What exactly does Ashton offer in a city where poutine is already everywhere?<\/p>\n
White starts with the ingredients.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have anything frozen in the restaurant,\u201d he said. \u201cNot many fast-food restaurants can say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashton\u2019s potatoes come from \u00cele d\u2019Orl\u00e9ans, he said, its cheese curds are delivered to restaurants every day and its poutine gravies are made in-house.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put all those ingredients together,\u201d White said, \u201cand I think that\u2019s what makes for the best poutine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashton\u2019s owners have also gained an unusually close look at Montreal\u2019s poutine tastes. Their group acquired La Banquise, one of the city\u2019s best-known poutine restaurants, roughly 2 1\/2 years ago.<\/p>\n
White said the experience has encouraged Ashton not to be overly protective of tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we learn is the importance of doing innovation,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can really think outside the box when it comes to creating new poutines.\u201d<\/p>\n
White said Ashton introduces new poutines each year, including a steak-and-Boursin version earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Ambre prepares orders of poutine at Ashton\u2019s Complexe Desjardins location on opening day, Monday, August 10, 2026. This is Ashton\u2019s first entry into the Montreal market since the 1980s. Tim Snow \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Announcing the opening on social media Monday<\/a>, Ashton described its poutine as one that \u201cneeds no introduction.\u201d<\/p>\n On its first day in Montreal, however, some customers were still being introduced to the name.<\/p>\n Maria and Sara, students in their 20s, had not heard of the chain at all. They saw the line at the counter and decided to join it \u2014 and ended up trying poutine for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really good,\u201d they said, adding that the service had been fast and friendly. Maria said she was happy to be \u201ctrying the local food.\u201d<\/p>\n For L\u00e9o Rivard, who grew up in Quebec City and now lives in Montreal, no introduction was necessary.<\/p>\n He had brought his two children to the new restaurant and was taking photographs of the Ashton counter as they waited.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to have a classic I grew up with,\u201d he said, adding that he was especially excited for his children to try it.<\/p>\n That nostalgia is part of what Ashton is betting will translate into customers. But Complexe Desjardins was also chosen for more practical reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cWe for sure think there will be a lot of corporate workers during the weekday at lunchtime,\u201d White said. \u201cBut then again, on weeknights and weekends, there are so many festivals.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, the restaurant looked every bit like an opening-day operation. Staff packed the counter as employees were trained and orders continued to come in. Families with children mixed with both younger and older customers, while passersby stopped to photograph the newly lit Ashton sign.<\/p>\n Robitaille was among those working behind the counter, packing bags as customers\u2019 numbers were called, then stepping out to introduce himself and shake hands.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going really well,\u201d the franchisee said.<\/p>\n Still, in a city with no shortage of established poutine loyalties, familiarity may take time.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the food court Monday, Jean C\u00f4t\u00e9, a Montrealer, said he had vaguely heard of Ashton before its arrival.<\/p>\n \u201cI know people in Quebec City really love it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, we\u2019ve got a lot of good places here too, so we\u2019ll see what we think of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tI’m a reporting intern at the Montreal Gazette, covering breaking news and the issues affecting communities across Montreal. I believe some of the most interesting stories begin with an ordinary conversation.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tamclaughlin@postmedia.com \t\t![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Abby-McLaughlin-1.jpg\")
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