st-hubert announced the closure of two Express rôtisseries — one in Mercier and another on Sherbrooke Street in Montreal — a move that will leave nearly 40 employees without their current positions but with a stated intent from the company to offer re-employment where possible. The closures form part of a broader reassessment of the chain’s network, company communications explain.
Background and context
The company confirmed the shuttering of the St-Hubert Express in Mercier, where employees were let go at the end of March (ET), and the forthcoming closure of the Express at Honoré-Beaugrand on Sherbrooke Street, where staff are scheduled to be dismissed on May 3 (ET). The two closures follow a pattern: over the past two years the rôtisseur closed eight restaurants while also opening locations in Amos, Gaspé, Saint-Donat, Anjou and at the Carrefour Laval. The brand currently operates 124 restaurants across Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick and serves more than 22 million meals per year.
st-hubert: closures, openings and corporate strategy
Company communications framed the moves as part of a routine reevaluation designed to ensure the long-term viability of the network. Management described openings and closures as components of sound operational management and said it respects its legal obligations while seeking to rehire employees who wish to work at other St-Hubert restaurants. The chain also outlined a broader development plan: certain locations are slated to reopen soon (Valleyfield and Saint-Eustache in April), and new openings are planned by early summer at Place Bonaventure, Lachenaie and Chibougamau. A relocation of the Laurier restaurant in Quebec City is scheduled for 2027.
Investment commitments remain part of the company narrative. The business had signaled intentions to invest almost 12 million dollars in its Boisbriand and Blainville plants and to construct a research and development centre of 650, 000 dollars. It also outlined targeted capital injections for restaurant-level work: 9 million dollars across seven restaurants, about 14 million dollars for a dozen venues, and another roughly 14 million dollars for 13 establishments. These figures were cited in company statements about sustaining growth while adjusting the footprint of the restaurant network.
Implications for employees, operations and regional footprint
The immediate labour impact is concrete: nearly 40 workers will lose their current positions as a result of the two closures. The Mercier team was dismissed at the end of March (ET), and the Montreal team faces dismissal on May 3 (ET). The company emphasized a willingness to rehire employees who seek positions at other outlets in its network, indicating internal mobility is part of the mitigation approach.
Operationally, the pattern of simultaneous closures and openings suggests a strategy focused on reallocating resources and concentrating investment where demand and long-term prospects are strongest. Over the past two years, the company both reduced and expanded its footprint, closing eight restaurants while opening several in other communities. The balance between shuttering underperforming units and investing in new or renovated sites is central to the company’s stated method for preserving network health.
Expert perspective and company voice
Marie-Ève Gaudreau, communications adviser for Groupe St-Hubert, characterized the recent closures as part of a regular network reassessment intended to ensure sustainability. She also reiterated the company’s stated intention to respect legal obligations and to offer re-employment opportunities within the chain for staff who wish to continue with the brand. Gaudreau further noted planned reopenings and new openings, as well as ongoing and proposed capital investments in production facilities and restaurants, underscoring a dual focus on operational pruning and targeted growth.
Regional consequences and the longer view
In regions where units are closing, short-term labour displacement is the primary effect; the company’s stated rehire intent may blunt those consequences if positions are available elsewhere and if employees can relocate or transfer. In parallel, planned openings and re-openings in areas such as Place Bonaventure, Lachenaie, Chibougamau, Valleyfield and Saint-Eustache reflect continued market engagement and investment in new and returning local footprints.
Historically, the brand traces its origins to a first rôtisserie opened in 1951 by Hélène and René Léger, with leadership passing to their son Jean-Pierre Léger in 1991. The company was sold in 2016 to Recipe Unlimited Corporation for 537 million dollars. Those milestones frame the current set of decisions as part of a company with a multi-decade trajectory now managing site-level shifts while maintaining system-wide investment plans.
As the company executes this reassessment, two questions remain for observers and affected communities: will the combination of targeted capital investment and selective closures stabilise long-term operations, and will the promised re-employment pathways materially reduce the labour impact of these closures? st-hubert’s next openings and the execution of planned investments will offer a clearer test of that strategy.
