 Dunn's on Rue Jean-Talon, Montreal | |
| Company type | Restaurant franchise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food service |
| Founded | 1927; 98 years ago (1927) onAvenue Papineau nearAvenue du Mont-Royal |
| Founder | Myer Dunn |
| Headquarters | 1249, rue Metcalfe Montreal,Quebec H3B 2V5 |
Number of locations | 6 (2019)[1] |
Area served | Quebec,Ontario |
| Products | Food and drink (Montreal-style smoked meat,pastrami andcheesecake) |
| Website | dunnsfamous.com |
Dunn's Famous Deli and Steakhouse is a chain ofJewish delis servingMontreal-style smoked meat,pastrami andcheesecake founded inMontreal,Quebec, Canada, by Myer Dunn.[2] The chain currently has locations in Montreal, and one inOttawa.
Dunn, who immigrated to Canada in 1911, opened his first restaurant in 1927 onAvenue Papineau nearAvenue du Mont-Royal.[3] In 1948 he opened his first restaurant to be called "Dunn's Famous Delicatessen" at the corner ofAvenue du Parc and Avenue du Mont-Royal.[3]
In 1955 he opened his flagship restaurant at 892Saint Catherine Street West.[3] The storefront windows were famous for the top-to-bottom stacks of large jars full of hot banana peppers.[4] The deli was open 24 hours a day, unusual for restaurant in thedowntown core. Beginning in the 1970s Dunn's Famous began to focus more onMontreal-style smoked meat, eventually stopping its promotion ofPastrami.[5][6]
The iconicSaint Catherine Street deli closed in 1998, though Dunn's grandson re-opened the establishment in 2000 at a larger space nearby on Metcalfe Street. This move was controversial, as it turned off many loyal customers who preferred the nostalgia of the old location despite the overcrowding. Other longtime deli competitors,Schwartz's andMain Deli, quashed relocation and franchising plans due to the potential backlash of diluting their iconic brands.[4]
Ina Devine, daughter of Aideh Dunn, had franchised the restaurant outside Quebec, with several locations in Ontario and one inBritish Columbia, however, today, only one remains (Dalhousie Street in theByward Market area of Ottawa). The smoked meat is not prepared in-house at these locations, but it is instead shipped frozen from Montreal and then warmed out before serving.[1]
Elliot Kligman currently has five franchises in Quebec and also offers Dunn's brand products to retail sellers.[7]
When the controversialCharter of the French Language (Bill 101) became law in 1977, theOffice québécois de la langue française (OQLF) took action against Dunn's and other stores retailing imported kosher goods that did not meet its labelling requirements, an action perceived in the Jewish community as an unfair targeting andantisemitism. This coincided with a high-profile case brought by the OQLF against Dunn's due to the apostrophe in the establishment's sign, which remains.[8][9]
Dunn's also got in trouble with the OQLF for having the English word, "Smoked Meat" on the sign out front. Dunn's, along with other well-known delicatessen establishments, also fought a ruling to change the name of "Smoked Meat" to "Boeuf Mariné" in order to conform toQuebec Language Law.[10] They won the ruling by appeal by proving that if they didn't advertise "Smoked Meat" they would confuse and anger customers.[11] A good example of this wasParti Québécois MNAGérald Godin who himself ordered the sandwich by its English name.[12] Due to the work of Myer Dunn, under the new ruling, enacted in 1987,Smoked meat became a word in bothOfficial languages of Canada.[13]
