The Numbers That Define Our Success

The holidays can be a numbers game. 

Number of presents under the tree, the number of houses you visit on Christmas day. The number of dishes you have to prepare for the number of parties you need to attend. The number of outfits to buy for the number of parties you’ve been invited to.  

In the hospitality industry, the numbers continue into projections, sales goals, guest counts, turn times, gift cards in, gift cards out, bill times.

This year is different. Our success and enjoyment hasn’t been defined by, or focused on these “numbers” - because if it was, it would be easy to feel like a failure. Like we’ve lost. 

Instead, we’ve decided to define our success, enjoyment, and gratitude by a different set of data. Here goes…..

• 367 - handwritten notes that we mailed out to children (and parents) who trusted us with their Santa letters this year. 

• 367 - times we cried from reading some of the beautiful, inspirational, heart breaking and heart warming words that kids wrote to Santa. Little ones who miss their friends, their grandparents, their dad who won’t be home for Christmas. Kids who are anxious about the pandemic, who needed reassurance that Santa would still come - and that this lockdown will end some day soon. Kids who are grateful that their family is healthy, kids that are grateful to have their first Christmas with their new family, kids who ask for gifts for friends instead of gifts for themselves. Each letter was an envelope full of perspective, and they changed the way we look at this time of year. 

• 48 - incredible employees that we managed to keep working during the recent lockdown, avoiding all lay offs during this second wave. They are the backbone to everything we do, and employing them is one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever received. 

• 23 - small, local, artists, farmers, and producers that we were able to feature in our retail section and on our menu. Thanks to our guests, their products flew off the shelves and we had a hard time keeping up with the overwhelming demand from those who chose to shop local this year. 

• 248- litres of hot chocolate that were handed out to guests who stopped by to shop, residents that were out for a stroll, and kids who were keeping their minds off things at the toboggan hill. 

• 7 - the number of families that we were able to surprise with items donated from our restaurant and contributions from other Chartier guests who wanted to help bring joy to those who needed a boost. Special thanks to Jana at MD Spa, Les and Stacey from Belvan Construction, The entire Prairie Farm Project team, and Cathy de Kock Gordon and her husband Aaron for helping us with this project. 

• 200 - the number of cookies our Chartier family members baked and decorated for front line healthcare workers as a token of appreciation for their hard work over the past year (and beyond). 

None of these numbers would have been possible if it wasn’t for the generosity, kindness, and support from our community of guests. 

We encourage each of you to dig past the normal digits to find a count that brings you joy and peace during our weird, messed up, 2020 holidays. Joy and pain can co-exist at the same time. So can sadness and happiness. As you mourn what isn’t - make time and space to celebrate and enjoy what is.

Sending so much love and light to all of you over the holidays, thank you thank you thank you thank you for a magical season. 

Much Love, 

Sylvia, Darren, Rowan, Chef Tamara and the Entire Chartier Family 

Pressing "Pause" (not "stop") on In-House Dining

After lengthy discussion with our entire Chartier Family, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily pause our in house dining effective Monday, November 30th,2020.

While we are incredibly confident in the protocols and procedures in place to protect our guests, we feel it would be in the best interest of our community, our province and most importantly, our team to adapt our model once again to takeout/curbside/delivery only until cases go down and restrictions are lifted.

Our Chartier team will be working on some incredible take-home options over the next few days that we will be launching soon, including cocktail kits, bake at home cinnamon buns, baking kits, and you guessed it - MORE TOURTIÈRE. Our hours of operation will remain the same, so you still have plenty of time to pop by, grab a coffee, some treats, and maybe even some delicious poutine.

As a business, our goal is to keep as many of our colleagues working as possible, so we'll be deploying some Chartier elves into the community to a) bring the holiday magic to centreville in a COVID compliant way, and b) give a helping hand to those who need it. This way our team stays employed and our community gets a pick me up. Stay tuned for details as we brainstorm ways to give our city the best holiday takeout experience possible. It feels like dark times and a little light will go a long way we hope.

We will be reaching out to affected guests in the coming days, and full refunds will be offered for anyone who has secured a private room rental or chef's table experience.

As we look through our reservation book, we see countless notes indicating anniversaries, birthdays, promotions, proposals, and other special occasions that are so worthy of a night out. We hope to still be trusted with these moments, either in the upcoming week prior to our pause - or with Chartier comfort food that you enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

From our family to yours - thank you and stay safe.

Curb-Side Pickup Now Available!

We launch our curb-side pickup today, and we're so excited to serve you French-Canadian comfort food to enjoy in the warmth of your own home :)

HOW IT WORKS

Visit our website (https://www.dinechartier.com/takeout) and pick the items you'd like to pickup. Payment is taken, and then our team members will give you a call to schedule a time to collect from the front of the restaurant. When you arrive, we'll run out your order straight to your car - or you can take a stroll and pickup from our takeout window!

The website is live now, so you can place your order for pickup between 11am-8pm :)

**To limit touchy touchy interaction, we are only accepting orders via the website. This eliminates the need for pin pad or cash transactions, and limits the amount of peeps hanging out at the window to order***

OPTIONAL - DASH DELIVERS

We have also partnered with a third party delivery source called Dash Delivers. They have a limited reach to Beaumont and Nisku area, but are a great option for anyone unable to leave the house. They do take payment upon delivery, so you would have a wee interaction with the driver.

After we've sold all of the individual meals we have ready to roll, we'll be switching to some stellar family style options to feed your soul (and your soulmates) in the coming days.

We have limited amounts of things like sourdough, cinny buns, etc - but after we sell out, we'll work on making more so we're ready to go for the next round.

These are challenging times for everyone, and we're so grateful for your support and patronage!

We'll get through this together XO

Beaumont doesn’t need a french canadian dining room right now. But we certainly need comfort food.

While we weather this storm together, we’ve decided to shut down our dining room effective Monday, March 16th.

Instead, we’ll be bringing the food to you, so you can enjoy Chartier from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Every family and small business is facing tough choices right now, and it’s difficult to know what to do. This isn’t a decision we took lightly, but the best way we could think of to serve the families who trust us, and the families we employ.

At the end of the day, comfort food only feels good if you’re comfortable.

Together, we’ll get through this. #FOODISLOVE

Summer Dinner Series 2020 at the Old Red Barn

It’s hard to believe that summer is just around the corner! We’ve been busy lining up an incredible season of outdoor dinners at the Old Red Barn - and ticket sales launched TODAY!

We currently have four experiences planned for 2020 (with a fifth in the works!)

These unique experiences take place in a vintage 1950's gambrel barn that overlooks the tranquil Whitemud Creek and picturesque farm fields outside of Leduc, AB.

Visit the links below for tickets and details - we hope to see you there!

Sunday, August 16 - Dairy Dream

Join us on Sunday, August 16th as we celebrate Alberta Open Farm Days with the Old Red Barn - located just minutes outsie of Leduc, Alberta. 

What better place to feature Alberta dairy than on an Alberta dairy farm! We'll be presenting a four course menu centered on beautfy dairy and cheese products from local producers (like the Old School Cheesery, Sylvan Star Cheese, and Revolution Ice Cream - just to name a few) on the stunning grounds of GLen Park Holstein dairy farm. 

Tickets are $125 each + GST which includes a 4 course dinner and reception cocktail. Additional alcoholic beverages not included (but available on site).

Monday, August 31 - Open Season

As a nod to the start of hunting season, Chartier will be hosting our first ever game meat themed dinner at the Old Red Barn on Monday, August 31st, 2020. 

Chef Tamara Solon and her team will present an unforgettabel four course dinner, centreed around farmed game meat in our area. 

Tickets are $150 each + GST which includes a 4 course dinner and reception cocktail. Additional alcoholic beverages not included (but available on site).

Monday, September 21st - Harvest Season

To celebrate the end of summer, Chartier will be hosting a harvest dinner at the Old Red Barn on Monday, September 21st. 

Chef Tamara Solon and her team will present an unforgettable four course dinner, centred around two Alberta farmers that dedicate their lives to farming on the prairires: Jenna and Brett Hauck from Lazy T Farms, and Kristen Graves from Fifth Gen Gardens. 

Tickets are $125 each + GST which includes a 4 course dinner and reception cocktail. Additional alcoholic beverages not included (but available on site).

Monday, October 5th - Tip to Tail with Redtail Farms

Join us on Monday, October 5, 2020 as we welcome oru friends from Redtail Farms to the Old Red Barn for an unforgettable evening.

Chef Tamara Solon and her team will present an unforgettable four course dinner, centred around tip to tail usage of the incredible grass fed/finished Luing cattle from Redtail Farms. She will explore unique ways of utilizing offal cuts, highlighting the importance of whole animal butchery and how to use the entire animal - tip to tail. 

Tickets are $125 each + GST which includes a 4 course dinner and reception cocktail. Additional alcoholic beverages not included (but available on site).

March Sunday Spirit Club - West Cork Irish Whiskey

Join us on Sunday, March 29th as our incredible Spirit Guide, Jennifer Kerr, welcomes Richard Nys of West Cork Distillery for our infamous Sunday Spirit Club! We’ll be tasting:

• West Cork Irish Whiskey

• West Cork Blended

• West Cork Black Castle

• West Cork Single Malt

You will be greeted with a reception cocktail using one of these four beauties, and each spirit will be paired to a small bite created by Chef Tamara Solon that highlights the unique flavour profile and character of the spirits being used. 

Tickets are $55 each, with limited spots available. Hope we see you in the new year! Tickets can be purchased here.

FAQs

Q: Is there a dress code? It's Sunday. I usually don't wear pants on Sundays.
A: You do have to wear pants (AHS rules, not ours), but you don't have to be fancy. Jeans, sweatpants, housecoat - we won't judge.

Q: Is a full meal provided? Or just snacks?
A: We will be pairing each spirit with a small bite - this is a snack only and we'll wrap up in time for you to make it home for dinner.

Q: I didn't go to the last spirit night? Can I still join this time?
A: Hell yes. You don't have to come to every single one, just whenever the mood strikes you.