Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant
Bens De Luxe Delicatessen and Restaurant was a renown delicatessen in Montreal, Canada. Offering a menu of mostly ethnic Jewish cuisine, their specialty was their famous smoked meat sandwich. Operating for nearly a century, spanning from 1908 to 2006, it was a favorite restaurant for celebrities as well as being a late night dining fixture in the downtown core. The deli was the original home of the smoked meat sandwich, and at the time of its closing, was the oldest deli in the city.
Restaurant site
The restaurant was located in downtown Montreal, at the south-east corner of de Maisonneuve and Metcalfe street.
The building, built in 1950, still currently stands intact and is composed of brown brick, rounded front corner facing, green awnings, large bay windows and a large illuminated wrap around sign. The restaurant operated on the ground floor, with the two upper floors used as rental space. This site was the third and final location for the restaurant (its location changed twice, as the business grew and expanded in its early years).
The restaurant's interior remained virtually unaltered throughout the years. The owners even continued to use the original melmac plates and dated cutlery for serving meals. The style consisted of interior columns and walls painted in bright greens and yellows, rows of bar stools lining the counters, with faux-marble terrazzo floors along with bright yellow, orange and green chairs used for seating. Much of the wall space was covered in photographs of celebrities who had dined at the restaurant.
History
Latvian immigrants Ben and Fanny Kravitz first opened the restaurant in 1908, as a small counter shop restaurant on Saint Lawrence Boulevard in Montreal. It relocated downtown (in 1929) at Burnside and Mansfield, and then to its current and final location on de Maisonneuve and Metcalfe in 1950. The restaurant was open 23 hours a day, closed for only one hour for cleaning.[1] The 1001 Burnside location, then in the theatre district and behind the Sheraton Mount Royal Hotel, was a popular late night dining choice for celebrities and movie stars.
Ben Kravitz passed the business onto his son, Irving Kravitz, who would often been seen working at the deli. At the height of its popularity, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, the restaurant had a staff of 75 employees and customers often formed lunchtime line-ups that went around the block.
During its time many well known or famous person frequented the restaurant, including two Canadian Prime Ministers, Pierre Trudeau and Paul Martin, a Quebec Premier, Rene Levesque, entertainers Leonard Cohen, Ed Sullivan, Burl Ives, Bette Midler, Jack Benny and Liberace, and sportsmen Bob Geary and Jean Beliveau (one of the many Montreal Canadiens hockey players that frequented the deli).
Smoked meat fans debated whether Bens or Schwartz's (another world famous deli in Montreal), had the best smoked meat sandwich. They were different, with Ben's primarily thin sliced meat piled high between rye bread, while Schwartz's offered plates of thickly cut smoked meat.
The 1990s saw declining patronage and the beginnings of a fatal labour dispute. In 1992 Irving Kravitz passed away and left the business in the hands of his wife, Jean, and their son Elliot. This was seen as a turning point, as the business began to decline, with the staff steadily reduced (down to 25) and the quality of the food and service lesser than in previous years.
The end came after the restaurant was forced to suspend operation in July 2006 due to an employee strike. After many months of the labour shutdown, the owners decided to permanently closed the restaurant. A deal was announced on December 15, 2006 with real estate developer SIDEV Realty Corporation bringing an end to the history of Bens deli (the official sale of the building and property took place on June 19th, 2007)[9]. The company, not interested in the building, plans to completely redevelop the property.
Debate over preservation of site
The building is to be demolished to allow for construction of a high rise tower. It sits empty, walls stripped bare and its tables, chairs and memorabilia stacked to the side, with a large blue SIDEV banner draped over and partially obscuring the Ben's sign.
The Art Deco Society of Montreal proposed that the building be preserved as is, citing its value as a tourist attraction and possible movie set. The building was constructed in the Streamline Moderne style, including faux-marble terrazzo floors and a stainless steel counter.[10] The city of Montreal has been asked to rescind the demolition permit, and the Society seeks to have building declared a heritage site by the province. The International Coalition of Art Deco Societies has also pledged its support[11]. The deli memorabilia, including all the autographed pictures of celebrities and pieces of the 'gaudy' interior, have been promised to a local museum. A date has yet to be set for its demolition (SIDEV is waiting for a permit approval; as of February 2008 the city of Montreal has still not responded to the request).
References
- ^ William Weintraub, City Unique: Montreal Days and Nights in the 1940s and '50s (McLelland & Stewart, 1996) p.133.
- Citynoise.org, April 14, 2008, Ben's Deli
- CBC online, December 5, 2006, Ben's in a real pickle
- CBC online, December 10, 2006, Ben's Deli, Montreal smoked meat institution, down, perhaps for the count
- CTV online, December 15, 2006, Montreal landmark Ben's Deli closes its doors
See also
Links
Citynoise
CBC News
"Bens restaurant closes forever"
The Montreal Gazette
"Preserving slice of Montreal life"
"After 57 years, it's bye-bye Ben's"
"Landmark eatery still shut by strike"
"Staff sets table for Ben's meeting"
"Lean times for Staff at Ben's"
Toronto Star