Scale can be built into a space like Le Richmond. Giving it character requires style.
A fixture since opening in 2013, the space reflects the warm personalities and unconventional backgrounds of co-owners Luc Laroche and Ertan Eren. As the Griffintown sector of downtown Montreal was being revitalized into one of the city’s trendiest neighbourhoods, the pair embraced the opportunity to transform a late 19th century industrial building into a high-end dining and nightlife destination.
A seasoned figure in fashion, Laroche first made his name with Lük by Luc. He later took on management and communications at Mango, an international retailer based in Barcelona.
From there, he moved into a senior role at Tommy Hilfiger, where he scaled retail operations and built flagship stores.
Later, at LaSalle College International, he oversaw campus development worldwide. Over time, his eye for design found a larger canvas in the spaces he helped bring to life.
“I like the structural stuff a lot,” Laroche says.
“At Tommy, we built stores. Later, I was renovating schools, gutting them to the bone and making design decisions.”
“They told me there were no glass walls in Tunisia,” he laughs. “I said, ‘Yeah? We’re going to find out!”
Originally from Turkey, Eren came to Canada in 2006 to study mechanical engineering at Concordia University and met Laroche around graduation. Ready for a new challenge, Laroche invited Eren to help with the technical planning and buildout of what would become Le Richmond.
Eren intended to stay only a few months but soon took on operational responsibilities as opening approached.
“It really touched me and hooked me, the energy of hospitality,” Eren recalls.
A business lunch crowd fills Le Richmond by day. At night, the room shifts to dinner and drinks. In summer, cocktails fill the terrace.
“Service, style, and delivery go beyond the plate,” Eren states. “It’s a show.”
Among its marquee productions is Montreal’s annual Grand Prix, a rush of high rollers, speed, and detail that takes months to prepare.
“One year we had a kindergarten graduation right after F1,” Eren says, laughing as he describes little honourees and their proud families. “No guest is more important or less important.”
“We want to be that agile,” Laroche underscores. “We want to be part of those special moments.”
A client may first discover Le Richmond through a company event, then return for a wedding, baby shower, anniversary, bar mitzvah, or another family celebration. Over time, it becomes part of the rhythm of people’s lives.
The pair invest in their people with the same long view they bring to the business. Laroche recounts how a cook who started 12 years ago was sent to train at a Michelin starred restaurant in Italy and is now the executive chef. Servers have grown into floor managers, concierges, and, in one case, a sales director.
Plans are also in motion for a new Toronto location in Midtown’s Yonge and Eglinton corridor, where Laroche and Eren have secured a spacious all-glass ground floor and see a chance to build an institution from the outset.
“It’s always in the Richmond feel,” says Laroche. “That’s the difference.”
“We’re intentionally unpretentious,” Eren adds.
“When you come in, you feel good. People forget where they are. You could be anywhere. And that means we’re timeless.”
For more on Le Richmond, go to lerichmond.com and follow @restaurantlerichmond.