Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant

Bens De Luxe Delicatessen and Restaurant was a renowned delicatessen in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The restaurant was best known for its famous smoked meat sandwich, and, as well, for its claim of being the very originator of the dish. During its heyday it was favorite spot for well known celebrities and a popular late night dining fixture in the downtown core. The establishment had been in operation for nearly a century, spanning from 1908 to 2006. At 98 years old, it was the oldest deli in the city at the time of its closing.

Restaurant site and interior

The restaurant was located in downtown Montreal, at 990 De Maisonneuve on the south-east corner of De Maisonneuve and Metcalfe street.

The building, built in 1950, still currently stands but is undergoing demolition. The three story structure is composed of brown brick, rounded front corner facing, green awnings, large bay windows and a large illuminated wrap around sign. The restaurant operated on the ground floor, with the two upper floors used as rental space. This site was the third and final location for the restaurant (its location changed twice, as the business grew and expanded in its early years).

The restaurant's interior remained virtually unaltered throughout the years. The owners even continued to use the original melmac plates and dated cutlery for serving meals. As well, waiters (male only) wore a black bow tie on a white buttoned shirt, black dress pants and shoes, with an old fashioned white apron tied around front. Inside, the style consisted of interior columns and walls painted in bright greens and yellows, chrome siding, rows of chrome-lineoleum bar stools lining the counters, with faux-marble terrazzo floors along with bright yellow, orange and green chairs used for seating. Much of the wall space was covered in photographs of celebrities who had dined at the restaurant.

History

Early years and golden age

Latvian immigrants Ben and Fanny Kravitz first opened the restaurant in 1908, as a small counter shop restaurant on Saint Lawrence Boulevard in Montreal. In 1929 it relocated downtown at De Maisonneuve (formerly Burnside) and Mansfield, and then to its current and final location on De Maisonneuve and Metcalfe in 1950. The restaurant was open 23 hours a day, closed for only one hour for cleaning. The 1001 Burnside location, then in the theatre district and behind the Sheraton Mount Royal Hotel, was a popular late night dining choice for celebrities and movie stars.

In later years Ben Kravitz passed the business onto his son, Irving Kravitz, who would often be seen working at the deli. At the height of its popularity, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, the restaurant had a staff of 75 employees and customers often formed lunchtime line-ups that went around the block.

During its time many well known or famous people frequented the restaurant, including Canadian Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau and Paul Martin, Quebec Premier Rene Levesque, entertainers Leonard Cohen, Ed Sullivan, Burl Ives, Bette Midler, Jack Benny and Liberace, and sportsmen Bob Geary and Jean Beliveau (one of the many Montreal Canadiens hockey players that frequented the deli).

Smoked meat fans debated whether Bens or Schwartz's (another world famous deli in Montreal), had the best smoked meat sandwich. They were different, with Ben's primarily thin sliced meat piled high between rye bread, while Schwartz's offered plates of thickly cut smoked meat.

Beginning of decline

The 1990s brought difficult times for Bens, with the death of Bens' owner, followed shortly by labour disputes on top of declining patronage. Irving Kravitz passed away in 1992 and left the business in the hands of his wife, Jean, and their son Elliot. This was seen as a turning point, as the business began to decline, with the staff steadily reduced (down to 25) and the quality of the food and service lesser than in previous years. Operating hours were also cut back over time, no longer running almost 24 hours, it gradually reduced hours until finally switching to a 7:30am to 12:30am (2am on weekends) format by its end. In 1995 the employees formed a union which often was at odds with the owners. The restaurant continued on into the next decade, but lost its popularity among Montrealers as the food quality had noticeably declined. It generally remained popular among visiting tourists at this point, though almost solely based on its long history and past reputation. Recent reviews of the establishment were critical of its lackluster quality of smoked meat and other dishes (especially compared with its past), as well as ungenerous portions and high prices.

Closure and end of an era

The beginning of the end started on July 20, 2006 when the unionized employees walked off the job and began a long term strike. The restaurant was forced to close during this period and although not known at the time, would never again reopen. The end finally came on on December 15, 2006, when during the strike Bens' owners made a tentative agreement with real estate developer SIDEV Realty Corporation to sell the building and property (the official sale and hand over took place on June 19th, 2007) [http://thesuburban.com/content.jsp?sid=72274364918018961571689161896&ctid=1000004&cnid=1011841] . It was also on this day Bens officially announced the permanent closure of the restaurant and gave all its staff notice that their employment had been terminated, bringing an end to the history of Bens deli.

SIDEV, which now owns the site, has stated they see no value in the restaurant or building itself--their only interest is the land it occupies and plan to completely level and redevelop with a new building project.

Debate over preservation of site

SIDEV intended from the start to have the building demolished to allow for construction of a 15 story hotel, but faced opposition. During this time it sat empty, walls stripped bare and its tables, chairs and memorabilia stacked to the side, with a large blue SIDEV banner draped over and partially obscuring the Ben's sign. The building, not maintained for two years after Bens closure, was seeing the early onset of deterioration: fallen ceiling tiles, paint heavily peeling and water leakage pooling on floors. Eventually a demolition permit was affixed to the building by the city of Montreal.

The 58 year-old building is among the top 10 endangered places in Canada, according to a list that the Ottawa-based Heritage Canada Foundation released. They described it as a "cultural icon". Yet others have been of the opinion the building is banal and drab and not at all worth saving. Stating it was the staff and customers that gave it its soul and charm--the empty building itself is soulless and a cheap example of art deco. [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=1dda07f6-8155-4844-a0c6-b24934f255b9]

The Art Deco Society of Montreal proposed that the building be preserved as is, citing its value as a tourist attraction and possible movie set. The building was constructed in the Streamline Moderne style, including faux-marble terrazzo floors and a stainless steel counter. [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=6e32a745-b135-4a27-a649-335fa01474fa&k=14951] The city of Montreal had been asked to rescind the demolition permit, and the Society seeked to have the building declared a heritage site by the province. The International Coalition of Art Deco Societies had also pledged its support [http://thesuburban.com/content.jsp?sid=72274364918018961571689161896&ctid=1000004&cnid=1011841] . Just days before the official sale of the building to the developer, a small rally of about 50 people was held in front of the former deli protesting against the building's demolition. Mixed reactions were given by passers-by.

Failure to save and demolition

On April 4, 2008, the city of Montreal posted notice of the intention to demolish the landmark site, which, as standard practice, was followed by a public hearing some two weeks later [http://www.stillepost.ca/boards/index.php?topic=103933.0] . Although demolition was agreed upon during the hearing, it was on condition the developer "commemorate" the deli in the new building that replaces it. The public had a deadline of May 21, 2008 to dispute the hearing [http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=914af524-d05f-40ac-a030-e41db7b2c00e&k=42238] . The debate was finally closed on June 3, 2008, when the Ville-Marie borough voted unanimously to knock down the building. The council's ruling, unlike previous hearings, was final and could not be appealed. The deli memorabilia, which included autographed photos of celebrities from Ben's Wall of Fame, wall menus, signs and other pieces of the interior, were donated to the local McCord Museum [http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/011807/news1.html] .

Demolition finally commenced September 25, 2008, starting with the gutting of the building's interior. At this point all the building's windows, including those at ground level, were covered with plastic sheeting and a construction barrier erected around the back side along De Maisonneuve street. On October 1, 2008, most of the iconic Bens sign was removed and the construction barrier was extended around the entire building, in preparation for completely leveling the building. Little remains of the site now, except the building's exterior shell.

References

* Citynoise.org, April 14, 2008, "Ben's Deli"
* CBC online, December 5, 2006, "Ben's in a real pickle"
* CBC online, December 10, 2006, "Ben's Deli, Montreal smoked meat institution, down, perhaps for the count"
* CTV online, December 15, 2006, "Montreal landmark Ben's Deli closes its doors"

ee also

* Schwartz's - Montreal

Links

Canada.com
* [http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=914af524-d05f-40ac-a030-e41db7b2c00e&k=42238 "Foundation lists most endangered buildings in Canada"]

Citynoise
* [http://www.citynoise.org/article/7969 "RIP Ben's Deli"]

CBC News
* [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/12/15/qc-benscloses20061215.html "Bens restaurant closes forever"]

The Montreal Gazette
* [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=6e32a745-b135-4a27-a649-335fa01474fa&k=14951 "Preserving slice of Montreal life"]
* [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?id=d10cbe37-39b6-4bd0-8647-bc6aeca7a25b "After 57 years, it's bye-bye Ben's"]
* [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=20cbcfab-9344-46c9-bc32-d77591cabdb5 "Landmark eatery still shut by strike"]
* [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=ab15c6fb-3f7a-4209-97dd-ec213b4b564c "Staff sets table for Ben's meeting"]
* [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=ca240e6d-be16-4bf6-8cbd-179428e50dcf&k=88066 "Lean times for Staff at Ben's"]

Toronto Star
* [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1166224211472&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home "Deli owners shut Ben's"]

SIDEV official site
* [http://www.sidev.com/english/projects.asp?CodeN=5 "Development plans (pending) for Maisonneuve & Metcalfe"]