DIC Ann’s restaurant sauce in grocery store |The press

A new spicy milestone in a family story already rich in memories

The pandemic had decided the grandchildren of the founders of Hamburgers DIC Ann’s restaurants to put their famous jar sauce for the customers of their establishments.They are now going to the next step: it will be sold at Metro from June.

"The sauce flows into our veins, literally," says Anthony Zammit.

Okay, not quite literally, but it is just if they were not stuffed with the bottle.

"Three days after my birth, my mother put the basin in the restaurant office," he said.Same thing for my cousin.We have grown up in restaurants since our birth.»»

Anthony Zammit and Delbina Potza represent the third generation within the family business founded by their grandparents Domenick Pottaza and Ann Collechia.

Their first restaurant was opened in Montreal in 1954.

Born in Virginie-Western, Domenick Pottaza, known as DIC, had met Montrealer Ann Collechia, jazz accordionist, while working as a server in a restaurant in the Buffalo region.

When the couple formed the project to settle in Montreal to open a small counter of Hamburgers, DIC asked the chef of the restaurant to offer him well -spicy sauces recipes.He retained the favorite of the jury of friends he had trained.

She made the success and reputation of her counter ... and the restaurants that followed.

Their two children and spouses joined the company.

Of the seven grandchildren, two took over: Delbina, daughter of Dominic, and Anthony, son of Maria.

The chain now has 12 restaurants in the large metropolitan region, plus a restaurant truck.

The sauce as spicy as secret has also made the success of family meals.

"We have always discussed with family recipes we made at home with the sauce," says Anthony.We told ourselves that it would be fun one day to be able, in one way or another, to give these recipes to our customers.»»

The opportunity arose with the pandemic.

Crisis

Containment and telework reduced the crowds of workers on the road who stopped dinner.

"The number of customers is what has changed the most.»»

But not so much the way to serve them.

At the beginning, at the restaurant on Boulevard Pie-IX, there were just 16 benches for customers.DIC Ann’s built with take -out service.We were ready.

Anthony Zammit, grandson of the founders of the DIC Ann’s restaurants

They had been thinking for some time now to add home delivery.

"It was the right time to start," adds Delbina.

However, the problem of the sauce was.

Because it produces its best effect when it is spread out in the kitchen in the hot hamburger, it had never been served apart or offered separately.

"When we launched the delivery service with Doordash," says Anthony, "we said: we are going to pass the first test by giving our sauce next to it and we will see the reaction of the customers.»»

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She was good.

So much so that the two cousins decided to take one more step: selling it in their restaurants in containers of 250 ml.

Anthony and Delbina attacked the problem in September 2020. They chose a glass jar and acquired a small machine to print the labels, which they installed in the basement of the restaurant in Chomedey, in Laval.

Delbina affixed each label by hand on the jars, delivered empty to the restaurants of the chain to be filled each morning with fresh sauce.

It’s really the same recipe since 1954. Nothing has changed.

Delbina Pottaza, granddaughter of the founders of restaurants DIC Ann’s

But would it be well received without its inseparable hamburger?

On the morning of the launch on December 16, despite an icy weather, around thirty people were line in front of the Chomedey restaurant to get their hands on a precious jar.

"We called all our franchisees:" Ok, we fill the pots! "Relates Delbina.

The sale of a dozen jars per day in each restaurant would be a resounding success, estimated the two cousins.

One of their establishments sold 180 from the first day.

"When we saw that, we said:" Ok, we open the machine! ""Relanes Anthony.

Du 16 décembre au 1^er janvier, malgré les fermetures des Fêtes, ils ont écoulé 5000 contenants.

In a few weeks, they sold 15,000 in their 12 restaurants.

The demonstration was conclusive.

All over Quebec

With this support, the two cousins launched the industrial production of their famous sauce, this time sold in a 550 ml plastic container with more neat graphics than the Bigarry label of December.

"On March 2, we made the decision to go with Metro," said Anthony.

The DIC Ann’s sauce will be offered in early June in most Quebec supermarkets in the brand.

It is made, still according to the original recipe, by a long -standing supplier of the restaurant chain."We are lucky not to have to change the supplier," said the entrepreneur."There was a lot of learning to do in a short time, because it is an industry completely new for us, with processes to which we were not used to it.»»

Sauce and roses

The preparation of glass jars, in the basement of the Chomedey restaurant, stirred more than sauce: rich memories.

"We grew up in the basement with our small electric trucks, while our grandfather made the mixture of the sauce, which was also prepared in the basement," recalls Anthony.It’s a bit of a return to our childhood.»»

He was 3 years old when, in 1988, after the death of Ann, his grandfather came to live with his parents.

Delbina lived on the floor of the restaurant on boulevard Pie-IX."The last two years when my grandfather and I worked together, he came to get me every morning to go to work," she says.

A well -linked family sauce ...

The patriarch died in 2019, 21 years after his wife.

"They were very close to each other," said Delbina.When my grandmother died, for 20 years, my grandfather went to place a red rose every morning.He did not miss one day.»»

"We did the calculation," added Anthony: it was 7,300 roses that he brought to the cemetery.»»