“You have the restaurant that is a profit business. And you have the other section we call The Friends of Francois Foundation,” Nguyen said.“It’s a comfort food from Canada. French fries, cheese curds and gravy. All homemade. All fresh. Cooked from scratch. ... You can add sausage, bacon. We have seven versions of poutine. ... I prepare fresh gravy three times a day.”
Several varieties of poutine are served at Chez Francois Poutinerie in downtown Naperville, including the traditional"Montreal" version of french fries and cheese curds covered in gravy.“The people here grew up with pizza and tacos. Us? We grew up with poutine. After the bar. Snacks. After practices. Poutine is part of our life. In Canada, you’ll find poutine on every corner.”“The students don’t know about poutine, but when they come and test it, they are hooked. ...
Chez Francois Poutinerie owner Thi Tram Nguyen carefully ladles gravy over a Montreal poutine. Prices at the downtown Naperville restaurant range from $9 to $19.“Weekends are very busy,” Nguyen said. “A lot of schools have community trips, individuals with disabilities, they bring them here, learn how to order food.”“It’s good. The summer was very good. The first year for every business is a challenge. We have great food. If you go to Google or Yelp, you’ll see five-star reviews. ...
“I was a medical sales rep. That’s a big switch. I cut down my salary. I’m not doing this for the money. need somebody like me. I wanted to be in downtown so people can see them.”“First, you have to be crazy. Second is you have to believe in your idea. No matter what happens, you have to be strong. You will make mistakes and have failures. You hit the wall? Stand up and run again.”
I've been to Quebec many times, and this place in Naperville is *very* good, with some twists on tradition. Plus the employees are great. Check it out if you are out west.