New System, a vintage Deli

‍The Converse Introduces you to “The Wisdom of the Hood ”, a series that gives voice to pillars that are the living memory of Montreal's various neighborhoods. This second portrait is that of a place. The deli New System has been established since 1962 on Beaubien Street, in Little Italy.

As soon as you entered the restaurant, you would think you were taken straight back to the 1960s. The door and the bay windows reveal a long room colored with red and white stripes, signs of a time not so distant when this marriage of tones indicated to passs-by that they could certainly find a meal on the go.

On the right, along the wall, Formica tables, framed by American-style benches, are topped by a jukebox. On the music lists, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana, Carlos Santana, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and several other icons from an era almost gone by. Opposite, the large counter and its metal stools overlook the kitchen where Cooks, Busboys and waitresses work like in an anthill.

At Eye Level, Coca-Cola Signs and Pop Art Prints Show the Prices of Yesteryear: The best poutine in town for 25 cents, hamburger for 5 cents. And, a key piece of this vintage universe, a large circular mirror has been showcasing the house specialty for over 50 years now: the New Hot Dog System.

A Family Affair

Carmen is familiar with the restaurant located at 363 Beaubien Street. This 65-year-old retiree goes there every day. As usual, she takes a seat at the bar, orders her usual coffee and engages in conversation with the employees.

“I was born not far from here, on Casgrain Street. I grew up in the neighborhood. I live only five minutes away, so I'm there all the time. I really like the atmosphere and everyone is nice. It's a bit like my second home here,” she says between sips.

“My mom came here for 30 years. My uncle keeps coming here, and from time to time, we come together. Worse, I remember having my first romantic dates here, when I was 17 or 18. We were just sitting there,” she said, pointing to the table at the back of the restaurant.

Behind his counter and his white chef's apron, George Giannaras seems absorbed in the big pot of tomato sauce that he is preparing. It's Sunday afternoon and the relative calm that reigns is to the little things that you never have time to do when there are too many people. Gestures are safe and fluid, but speech is discreet. The restaurant owner is in action, like the rest of his team.

George, the owner of the Nouveau Système, was born in the Rosemont neighborhood to parents who arrived from Greece in the early 1960s. The family then lived on Masson Street above the restaurant run by his father John, who later took over several establishments of the kind.

It is therefore not surprising that George, who grew up in this atmosphere of stoves and smells of cooking, decided one day to have his own restaurant.

In fact, it was thanks to his father that he raised the funds necessary to buy the New System. “After high school, I started working at my cousin's restaurant. All the money I earned, I put away in the bank. I only took my tips. Worse, at some point, I went to see my father, I told him: I have $20,000, I want to invest it in a restaurant. He answered ok. He put in another $20,000, and we became owners on the 1st^Er March 1987; I was 20,” he said, without ever looking up at the pizza dough that was taking shape.

So for nearly 37 years, George has been taking care of his pizzas, his hot dogs and his customers. “I don't like change, I prefer stability and a job well done. Lots of people say, “It's just a cheeseburger.” But no, your meat should be well cooked, even if [the pace of work] is fast and you have to take out several at the same time. That's why a lot of other restaurants are closing. I like what I do and I am thorough.”

It is this spirit that permeates the taste of all the dishes served by the restaurant, true to its recipes and tradition. Same cabbage hot dogs, same poutine, everything here seems frozen in time. “Poutine sauce is the same one we've always used; it's the recipe invented by George's father! ” says Jean-Pierre, the local handyman, who has just joined the discussion.

Always ready to start a conversation between two dishwashing chores, Jean-Pierre, who has willingly broken up with a boring retirement, has been working here for almost five years. “He came here as a customer. I saw my friend Danielle, one of the waitresses, and all the others who were overwhelmed. I told myself that giving my time wouldn't hurt. It was primarily out of friendship that I came here.”

It is still out of friendship that over the years, Jean-Pierre has established relationships with all his regular customers, including André and Jean-Claude, who do not hesitate to tell him their secrets, to share their worries and joys. For the most part, regulars have salt and pepper and enjoy working alongside young people and families who come to the New System from time to time, in the evenings and on weekends.

Jean-Pierre — like all the other restaurant employees — knows what each of them is going to take. But he is also aware of their problems and never hesitates to give advice or to say a word of humor, to comfort.

Here, we worry about so-and-so, who has lost a loved one; for another, who has been arrested by the police, or for a regular in search of housing. What is said around the New Counter System goes well beyond the menu. We are here as a family and we empathize, we try to help each other. In these times of chronic indifference, that is no small thing.

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A restaurant that will stand the test of time

Anyone who regularly visits the New System knows Jimmy. George's cousin and right-hand man is a cook. With his hat screwed on, his eyes mischievous, Jimmy is always ready to put a smile on the faces of colleagues and customers. “I am the best chef in the world, better than Gordon Ramsay! ” I know jokingly.

It was at the age of 14 that Gordon Ramsay from Beaubien Street plunged his hands into the profession. He studied at his father's restaurant, then bought his first restaurant with his brother much later. The adventure lasted about fifteen years, until the resale. “When My Brother Decided to Live in Greece, I Said to Myself: “No, it's quite hard as it is to manage a restaurant, I don't want to do it alone.” But since he had to make a good living, Jimmy then found his apron as an employee in the kitchens of Nouveau Système. It's 2008, and the face of Little Italy is changing more and more.

“Before, there were young people Kids Who came here after school. There were lots of immigrant families living around, you could see Latinos, Italians, Haitians. I remember, sometimes, young people invited me to go play soccer in the Gaspé Park next door. It was fun,” Jimmy explains.

Consistently, these families had to leave the neighborhood because rent prices kept rising. “Now, those who replaced them are rich young people, with parents who are civil servants or lawyers who can afford to pay. They are yuppies. It has nothing to do with the people we saw walking around the neighborhood before.”

Angelo can also attest to this. Leaning on the counter to chat with the owner, the businessman, who works in real estate, has frequented the New System since the beginning of the 1980s. At the time, he owned the music store next door. He only had to walk three steps to come and enjoy George's pizza, who in the long run became a friend. “George puts love into his pizza. Elsewhere, you won't get that. Why should I go anywhere else? I know the people here. I feel at home there.”

Born in Italy, Angelo came to Montreal at the age of 10. His family settled in the neighborhood, where he knew the streets and facades by heart. At the end of the 1970s, fewer and fewer Italian immigrants settled in the parish. Then, like other members of his community, Angelo left Little Italy as soon as the opportunity to own his property presented itself. “There were a lot of Italians here. You still see Italian businesses along Saint-Laurent and on Dante Street, but the Italians have left. The People Climb the ladder and want to become owners. So they went further north: Saint-Michel, Montreal North, Montreal North, Saint-Leonard, Chomedey,” says the man who now lives in Laval.

Nevertheless, the man remains attached to Little Italy, where he visits regularly. “The church located at the corner of Saint-Zotique and Saint-Laurent, in fact, has been transformed into condos. It was sold because no one went there anymore. They are rich people who live there,” says Angelo, who regrets that the neighborhood has lost its authenticity.

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Looking to the Future

There is also the economic vitality of Little Italy that raises questions. George, who has been watching things go on for 37 years, has some concerns. “Every four or five years, one business closes and another one sets up, only to close later in turn. It's always the same.” Times are indeed tough for business. With inflation hitting hard, the repercussions of the pandemic, and the exorbitant cost of commercial leases due to gentrification, staying afloat as a merchant is like a tightrope walker.

But more is needed to frighten John, George's eldest son, who wants to take over the restaurant and continue the family adventure.

At just 20 years old, John alternated between studying accounting and working at the New System.

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“I started coming here regularly and working there three years ago. At first I didn't really feel like I fit in, but I got used to it. Tse, our parents and grandparents fought for a living, so that their children could succeed. So working, and working here, is a way of honoring their sacrifices,” he explains.

On the screen overlooking the room, the most recent adaptation of King Kong. Just like at home, we watch everything that's going on here — a hockey game, a news report, everything is something to talk about.

Alongside his father, John understands what it means to have a sense of work. He also learned other lessons working at the restaurant: “This place taught me a lot. I learn more about society when I come here, every time a new person enters the restaurant, whether rich or poor, it doesn't matter. Here we talk, we eat and we laugh.”

The young man believes in the potential of the place to remain a must in the neighborhood, but also wants to develop it and bring it into a new era. He hopes to achieve this by recruiting young people of his generation to refresh the business, while maintaining its authentic character. “I want to take the restaurant to a new level because we have been stagnant for a while. I want to make it evolve.”

The only certainty, the New System, with its hot dogs, fries, hamburgers and air Vintage, will always remain that meeting place where it is good to meet.

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