Anthony Bourdain filmed his show here. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dines here. And it consistently ranks among Québec’s top dining destinations. Le Continental, the elegant French restaurant located in the heart of Vieux Québec, has brought its classic style of tableside service to discerning diners since 1956.
The formal dining room is graced with linens, crystal and attentive waiters in white dinner jackets and ties. Many menu items are prepared tableside, from Caesar salads and steak tartar to flambéed duck à l’orange, peppercorn sirloin, Chateaubriand, filet mignon and scampi in whiskey, to name just a few. One reviewer called it “a masterpiece of service and cuisine.” During peak times, about 120 employees serve 280 meals daily.
Mathieu Pettigrew, co-owner of Le Continental, first learned about RATIONAL ovens when he took part in a demo 20 years ago. At the time, he didn’t see the need for a combi oven in his kitchen, but in 2018, contending with a labor shortage, he came back for another look. At a minimum, he had nine cooks in the kitchen, and he wanted to do more with fewer people. At the same time, he sought to further elevate consistency, create a superior roasted duck program, precisely steam vegetables, and minimize stress in the kitchen.
RATIONAL was highly recommended by fellow chefs, kitchen designers and technicians, but Pettigrew had to persuade his own chefs to try a combi oven. The RATIONAL corporate chef and regional sales manager conducted three separate trials with the chefs and owners at Le Continental to demonstrate that the SelfCookingCenter® could consistently deliver the exceptional outcomes they required.
“I had to convince my chefs to install a RATIONAL, and now they could not live without it,” Pettigrew said.
Today Le Continental has one RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter® 101 and two SelfCookingCenter® 61 XS units, used to prepare about 50 to 60 percent of the menu. The new takeout menu utilizes the RATIONAL combi ovens even further, to prepare ingredients for 75 percent of menu items.
Consistency is elevated, they garner an amazing yield on their duck program, and there is less monitoring of the cooking process, allowing more time for plating and refining sauces.
When they require support, the RATIONAL certified chef and regional sales manager are available immediately to address any challenge and identify solutions.
“No food waste, a more positive work environment, elevated consistency, and less work for the owners because there are fewer rotations on the cooking team and less hiring – RATIONAL is the best investment ever,” Pettigrew said.
“There is now one less prep chef in the morning, reducing payroll, but more importantly, we have absolutely exceptional food and fully satisfied customers.”