Poutine lovers descend on small Quebec island after review goes viral on TikTok
CBC
By 11 a.m. on Tuesday a line of people snaked around Chez Mag Fine Cantine — a snack bar on Île d'Orléans, just north of Quebec City, that's long been famous for its poutine.
Usually serving the Quebec staple with a thick layer of fresh lobster, the family-owned seasonal casse-croûte has seen a dramatic spike in visitors since last week.
The co-owner says the island's bridge is jammed and wait times are upward of an hour as tourists and locals line up to try the poutine recommended by Quebec influencer Olivier Primeau.
"We didn't see it coming," said Marc-Antoine Gagnon. "We are trying our best."
Primeau posted a video on TikTok about the poutine last week which now has over a million views.
In it, he rated the poutine 9.8 out of 10, described the gravy as "incredible," the cheese as "endless" and said, overall, it was an "incredible" dish that lived up to the hype.
The sudden surge in fame has forced the owners to double their staff and buy a trailer to keep up with demand.
'We have no other choice than dealing with it," said Gagnon.
"I can call it crisis management. With all the traffic that comes in right now, we blocked the bridge for the first time during the summer."
Some who made the trek to the island waited in line for nearly an hour before the snack bar opened.
Ben Beaumont travelled with his parents from Little Venice in London, England.
"Apparently it's really good," said Beaumont, as he stood in line. Once his family heard about the restaurant online they didn't want to leave the area without trying it.
Nick Petrilli lives in Ottawa but has a cottage on the island and took the opportunity to try the poutine while he visited for the summer.
"Seeing the reviews … We had to try it out," said Petrilli.