Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Breakfast diners? What a culture shock that would be.
We have a concept that is similar to breakfast "diners" here in Quebec (it also exists elsewhere in North America). Basically they are restaurants that serve exclusively breakfast and lunch - they close by mid-afternoon. There are chains with dozens of locations all over Quebec.
Look at the some of the menus (French comes up first, the sites are bilingual; you need to click on "EN" to switch to English) :
There are also tons of independant restaurants (not part of chains) specialized in breakfasts.
These places are hugely popular. On weekends there are usually line ups at brunch time (between 10am and 2pm, usually), often with kids and grand parents.
It's a concept that strangely not very common in Europe. My impression is that eating out with the family is more popular in North America compared to Europe.
For example the phrase "honey, come and eat now" is quite straightforward, except switching the noun honey you can't do much with the sentence.
In Finnish,
honey = rakas
come = tule
and = not existing in Finnish, as it is defined in the verb eat
eat = syödä
now = nyt
As in:
"rakas, tule syömään nyt" = direct translation from English
"rakas, tule nyt syömään" = asking politely in a begging tone
"rakas, nyt tule syömään" = demanding
"rakas, syömään nyt tule" = poetic, gramatically correct but not used commonly
"rakas, tule syömään" = direct translation
"syömään, rakas" = direct translation forgetting the 'now' adverb
"nyt rakas syömään" = now honey come and eat
drop a word, which is "tule"',
"rakas, syömään" = direct translation
"syömään" = come to eat (order)
"rakkaani, syömään" = my beloved one, come and eat
"syömään, rakkaani" = same as above
Ok, I think you get the drill. So if English has a lot of opportunities, Finnish has pretty much endless opportunities by tweaking cases and word order. The longer the sentence is, the more opportunities you have.
Thanks for that. I am not very up on the intricacies of Finnish linguistics! Compared to French, English (and also Spanish) have always seemed way less rigid to me.
We have a concept that is similar to breakfast "diners" here in Quebec (it also exists elsewhere in North America). Basically they are restaurants that serve exclusively breakfast and lunch - they close by mid-afternoon. There are chains with dozens of locations all over Quebec. .
Is it really that common across North America? I can't say I have noticed the presence of large chains of breakfast/lunch restaurants that are actually closed in the late afternoon and evenings. You have places like Denny's and Perkins in the U.S. (not present in Quebec but present in Anglo-Canada) which are big for breakfast but I am pretty sure they are all still open for dinner.
When I look at such places in Ontario (that aren't open at all for dinner), it seems like it's mostly the chains from Quebec like Cora that have crossed the border there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by begratto
Look at the some of the menus (French comes up first, the sites are bilingual; you need to click on "EN" to switch to English) :
There are also tons of independant restaurants (not part of chains) specialized in breakfasts.
These places are hugely popular. On weekends there are usually line ups at brunch time (between 10am and 2pm, usually), often with kids and grand parents.
It's a concept that strangely not very common in Europe. My impression is that eating out with the family is more popular in North America compared to Europe.
Also, this hasn't always existed. It's more like a trend that has emerged in Quebec (and maybe elsewhere in NA, not sure?) in the last 10 years or so. It's probably related to the high cost and complexity of offering a full dinner menu in the evening, whereas a breakfast menu is cheaper and usually simpler. You can offer a bunch of things with many of the same ingredients. Plus you don't need a full bar or a wine list (and accompanying sommelier if you want).
Quote:
Originally Posted by begratto
My impression is that eating out with the family is more popular in North America compared to Europe.
I've noticed this too. Everyone I know in Europe tells me they rarely eat at restaurants because it's so bloody expensive (relative to how much it costs to eat at home anyway). I think the difference here in terms of cost between home vs. resto is not as great.
Do restaurants where you can bring your own wine exist in many parts of the world?
I am starting to think it's a mainly a Quebec thing. Though it has spilled over into Ontario (maybe other parts of Canada too?) but Ontario being Ontario, I think there are almost no restaurants that offer it and those that do charge you an "uncorking fee" (often around 15 dollars... which kind of defeats the purpose.)
Here is how it works in Quebec: the restaurant has a special permit to serve wine but it can't sell it. They have no wine list or wine on site.
They don't charge you to uncork your bottle.
If you know the restaurant business you will know that often it's on alcohol (especially wine) that they make their money.
So what is the advantage for them of letting people bring their own wine?
It's that these restaurants are often quite busy 7 nights a week. So you make up the money on sheer volume.
For customers it's a good thing because you get to have the wine you want, for one half to one third the price.
Is it really that common across North America? I can't say I have noticed the presence of large chains of breakfast/lunch restaurants that are actually closed in the late afternoon and evenings. You have places like Denny's and Perkins in the U.S. (not present in Quebec but present in Anglo-Canada) which are big for breakfast but I am pretty sure they are all still open for dinner.
In the US, I was thinking of the Original Pancake House, IHOP and others which could be a bit similar to what we have here in Quebec. But it isn't exactly the same, and they're not as ubiquitous as in Quebec.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
When I look at such places in Ontario (that aren't open at all for dinner), it seems like it's mostly the chains from Quebec like Cora that have crossed the border there.
True
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Also, this hasn't always existed. It's more like a trend that has emerged in Quebec (and maybe elsewhere in NA, not sure?) in the last 10 years or so. It's probably related to the high cost and complexity of offering a full dinner menu in the evening, whereas a breakfast menu is cheaper and usually simpler. You can offer a bunch of things with many of the same ingredients. Plus you don't need a full bar or a wine list (and accompanying sommelier if you want).
I don't really know about the rest of Quebec, but in the Montreal area the trend is much older than this. We used to go at Cora and other breakfast restaurants when I was a teenager, in the late 1980's and I remember that there were huge line-ups .
I don't really know about the rest of Quebec, but in the Montreal area the trend is much older than this. We used to go at Cora and other breakfast restaurants when I was a teenager, in the late 1980's and I remember that there were huge line-ups .
The first time I went to Cora was in Montreal about 20 years ago. The website says the first Cora opened in 1987.
So I guess it's been longer than I thought. Maybe a good 20 years or more.
There is also Eggspectation that was on the early edge of the trend. And Tutti Frutti was a later addition.
Do restaurants where you can bring your own wine exist in many parts of the world?
I am starting to think it's a mainly a Quebec thing. Though it has spilled over into Ontario (maybe other parts of Canada too?) but Ontario being Ontario, I think there are almost no restaurants that offer it and those that do charge you an "uncorking fee" (often around 15 dollars... which kind of defeats the purpose.)
Here is how it works in Quebec: the restaurant has a special permit to serve wine but it can't sell it. They have no wine list or wine on site.
They don't charge you to uncork your bottle.
If you know the restaurant business you will know that often it's on alcohol (especially wine) that they make their money.
So what is the advantage for them of letting people bring their own wine?
It's that these restaurants are often quite busy 7 nights a week. So you make up the money on sheer volume.
For customers it's a good thing because you get to have the wine you want, for one half to one third the price.
Does this exist anywhere else?
BYO (bring your own) is common in NZ. Good for small places that don't want the hassle of a liquor licence.
In the US, I was thinking of the Original Pancake House, IHOP and others which could be a bit similar to what we have here in Quebec. But it isn't exactly the same, and they're not as ubiquitous as in Quebec.
.
I looked for fun and out of IHOP, Original Pancake House, Waffle House, Denny's, Perkins, etc. it seems like only the Original Pancake House closes early and has given up on the dinnertime clientele.
Do restaurants where you can bring your own wine exist in many parts of the world?
I am starting to think it's a mainly a Quebec thing. Though it has spilled over into Ontario (maybe other parts of Canada too?) but Ontario being Ontario, I think there are almost no restaurants that offer it and those that do charge you an "uncorking fee" (often around 15 dollars... which kind of defeats the purpose.)
Here is how it works in Quebec: the restaurant has a special permit to serve wine but it can't sell it. They have no wine list or wine on site.
They don't charge you to uncork your bottle.
If you know the restaurant business you will know that often it's on alcohol (especially wine) that they make their money.
So what is the advantage for them of letting people bring their own wine?
It's that these restaurants are often quite busy 7 nights a week. So you make up the money on sheer volume.
For customers it's a good thing because you get to have the wine you want, for one half to one third the price.
Thanks everyone! I'm learning stuff here! It's more widespread than I thought. I guess I don't notice BYO when I am travelling for some reason.
Is it free or do they charge you to uncork?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
