Villemarie

VILLE-MARIE COLLECTION erator partners of this fasci- nating company, we discovered many sides and much substance contributing to its success and growing momentum. Elefant relates: “Ville-Ma- rie Collection is the off-shoot of Stambac International, a company put together to offer restaurant franchising and con- sulting services, globally.We had originally 18 to 20 partners in the company, and a couple of years ago, three Canadian part- ners –our CEO Brian Bendix, our COO Christopher Nacos, and I –decided to do a management buyout and rebrand the company as Ville-Marie Collection.With less partners involved, we were more nimble and able to operate and make decisions in a rapid manner.” At present, Ville-Marie Collec- tion has two locations of L’Atelier d’Argentine – their Argentinian steakhouse concept; an iconic Montreal restaurant known as Wienstein & Gavino’s (Italian/Med- iterranean); and Decca 77, a more upscale terroir with local French influence. “We also have a restaurant known as Xavier Artisan, our first foray into the quick service market,” says Elefant.“We feature STEVEN ELEFANT BRIAN BENDIX CHRIS NACOS AT A GLANCE VILLE-MARIE COLLECTION WHAT: Boutique hospitality company with cutting edge dining and gourmet fast-ca- sual venues across North America, Europe, and the Middle East WHERE: Based in Montreal, Quebec WEBSITE: www.ville- mariecollection.com artisanal sandwiches, salads, soups, coffees, etc.These are also located in theMontreal area.Aside from that,Ville-Marie does fran- chising.We’re offering franchises for both L’Atelier d’Argentine and XavierArtisan.We also have a consulting component to our company, wherewe act as consultants and create brands for third parties.” An unusual business model, indeed, and one that makes Ville-Marie Collection an exciting place to work. Having many channels in the hospitality field enables the company to offer a wide range of services to guests and clients. Currently, every- thing is corporate-owned, but they’ve recently started offering franchises on the quick service side, plus L’Atelier d’Argentine and Wienstein & Gavino’s brands.