Pacini: Keeping It Real
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By Kathryn Jones   
Friday, 28 March 2008
smc Pacini works with a chef in northern Italy to “bring more authentic food to our plate in Quebec,”says Christian Champagne, vice president of operations.
Pacini works with a chef in northern Italy to “bring more authentic food to our plate in Quebec,”says Christian Champagne, vice president of operations.
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“In Quebec, we want to be the leader in Italian food,” says Christian Champagne, Pacini vice president of operations. “We have some competition, but we are the real Italian taste.” The La Prairie, Quebec, Canada-based franchise operates 25 restaurants in every region of the province and is implementing plans to spread coast to coast. This year, it will open two more locations in Calgary, Alberta, and Quebec City, Quebec.

“Six years ago, we took a big turn in our menu because with Italian food, it is very tough to be authentic,” Champagne says. To ensure its authenticity, the company began working with a chef in northern Italy to “bring more authentic food to our plate in Quebec,” he notes. “We work with virgin olive oil, real parmesan cheese and we don’t ever compromise. The kind of plate we serve is typical of Italy.”

In addition, for the past five years, the company sends 30 to 40 employees to Italy every year to visit wineries and to study in its culinary academy, Accademia Culinaria Pacini, for a week, and then they come back to the restaurants to become “good ambassadors for the chain,” Champagne says. “Our employees are our first resources, so we want to do everything we can to make them satisfied about their work. Manpower is a big challenge. It is hard to find chefs for the kitchen, so that’s why we set up a kind of recognition program for our employees. We want them to be proud to work for Pacini, so we are willing to pay them more.”

Dishes found at Pacini are typically found in restaurants across northern Italy, according to Champagne. “We have a grill section in our menu that includes grilled veal scaloppini and cutlet, grilled shrimp brochettes, a trout filet with lemon and capers, and a grilled tuna steak,” he says.

Three years ago, Pacini decided to eliminate all trans fat from its menu. “It takes a lot of money and a lot of work with our management and suppliers,” Champagne admits. The company worked in a joint venture with the Universite de Montreal Hospital Centre’s cardiology and clinical nutrition department to remove harmful ingredients from every dish. “After a couple of months of researching different recipes and learning how to find new ingredients for our recipes, we eliminated all of the products that contain trans fat,” Champagne says. “For us it was a great achievement.”

Being recognized as the best company to work for by the Montreal Business Journal for past three years is another achievement. It was also voted best for its human resources and commerce management and ethics and was named franchiser of the year by various organizations.

Vegetarian Franchise
Last year, the company acquired a Canadian vegetarian restaurant franchise called Commensal. “The formula is very different from Pacini,” Champagne notes. “It’s a vegetarian buffet. It’s the only chain in North American to serve vegetarian-only food, and we’re looking to expand the concept in Quebec and out of Quebec, too. We are aware of the health of our customers, so it’s normal that Pacini acquired Commensal because it’s vegetarian and the kind of restaurant that it is aware of the health of the customers. If we make an acquisition, we will look for a chain like this one.

“There are two very important parts in our concept,” he continues. “The first part is the cold buffet, so we sell all kinds of salad ranging from Thai salad and Chinese salad to creamy lentil salad and apple salad. The hot part of the menu includes chili, spaghetti squash, vegetable couscous and vegetable lasagna. We also have many different tofu dishes.”

When it acquired Commensal, Pacini opted to keep the menu the same, but updated the restaurants’ décor. “It’s an old concept that has been existing for 30 years, and it wasn’t refreshed, particularly the interior,” Champagne explains. “Now, we’re in the construction for a new restaurant and it’s going to be more urban, more healthy or [about] taking care of the environment with new colors and a new design.

“In the buffet, customer service is normally not the big issue, but we want to bring this kind of service to Commensal,” he continues. “We want it to have a more global experience than it does now. We also have a project to renew all of the existing restaurants in the next two years.”

Currently, Pacini owns seven Commensal restaurants and is looking for ways to expand the franchise. “We’re looking for a smaller kind of concept [in terms of square footage],” Champagne says. “It would be easy to install them in an office building or a hospital or a school. The cafeteria kind of restaurant is looking for more healthy food, so there might be an opportunity for us there.”

For the company overall, “our business plan is to start expansion in western Canada and then to expand into the United States, maybe the West Coast,” Champagne says. “Something like Seattle or Northern California would be our entrance into the United States.” He says the company’s joint-venture style of franchisee ownership allows it to expand quickly.

“The restaurants are normally 51 percent our share and 49 percent for the franchisee,” Champagne says. “It helps us get the best operators we can find and ensure that they stay with the company.”
 
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