
7

"At Janine Café in Verdun (which the co-owner also runs alongside Régine Café), I found that the brunch experience has been forced to adapt: the long lineups are now virtual, and Pierre-Luc Chevalier admits he originally didn’t think eggs would travel for takeout but after rolling out a shortened menu “my God, it worked.” They’ve since returned to their regular menus but sell far fewer eggs Benedict or sunny-side-up eggs (scrambled stays warm longer), and have kept afloat by emphasizing traditional brunch plates, pastries and sides — customers are even ordering more sides to have leftovers. Despite that, the business has seen a 75 percent drop in sales and cut staff by 60 percent, and Chevalier calls them the “lucky” ones." - Joel Balsam