Poutine lovers descend on small Quebec island after review goes viral on TikTok

By 11 a.m. on Tuesday a line of people snaked around Chez Mag Fine Cantine — a snack bar on Île d'Orléans, just northeast of Quebec City, that's long been famous for its poutine.

Usually serving the Quebec staple with a thick layer of fresh lobster, the family-owned seasonal casse-croûte has seen a dramatic spike in visitors since last week.

The co-owner says the island's bridge is jammed and wait times are upward of an hour as tourists and locals line up to try the poutine recommended by Quebec influencer Olivier Primeau.

"We didn't see it coming," said Marc-Antoine Gagnon. "We are trying our best."

Primeau posted a video on TikTok about the poutine last week which now has over a million views.

In it, he rated the poutine 9.8 out of 10, described the gravy as "incredible," the cheese as "endless" and said, overall, it was an "incredible" dish that lived up to the hype.

The sudden surge in fame has forced the owners to double their staff and buy a trailer to keep up with demand.

'We have no other choice than dealing with it," said Gagnon.

"I can call it crisis management. With all the traffic that comes in right now, we blocked the bridge for the first time during the summer."

'Phenomenal even before the Olivier Primeau reviews'

Some who made the trek to the island waited in line for nearly an hour before the snack bar opened.

Ben Beaumont travelled with his parents from Little Venice in London, England.

"Apparently it's really good," said Beaumont, as he stood in line. Once his family heard about the restaurant online they didn't want to leave the area without trying it.

Nick Petrilli lives in Ottawa but has a cottage on the island and took the opportunity to try the poutine while he visited for the summer.

"Seeing the reviews … We had to try it out," said Petrilli.

"I'm going in with a very neutral mind and taking it as it is. I'm not trying to be biased … of course we checked the reviews and it was phenomenal even before the Olivier Primeau reviews."

He says the meal may even "dethrone" his go-to poutine from Chez Ashton.

'Grateful for the love'

Gagnon says the biggest challenge for his business right now is staffing — and stocking sufficient ingredients.

He says they now have 15 employees, instead of the usual seven.

Every day, they produce nearly 100 litres of sauce in addition to boiling and preparing all the fries from scratch — made from potatoes grown on the island, said Gagnon.

To address the limited space at the snack bar, which is only five metres squared, Gagnon managed to find a trailer on Facebook Marketplace.

"I was like, 'Maybe if I put a food truck or trailer here to serve more people maybe that's going to be the solution instead of closing,'" said Gagnon. "That's how I managed to do it."

Although the past week has been overwhelming, he says he is feeling "blessed" and is looking forward to serving people for the next few months until the season ends in November.

"We have to keep smiling," said Gagnon. "And be grateful for the love."