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HISTORY - ABOUT US
The Grand Bayou
Cafe & Bar was opened in 1996 by a bunch of friends - looking to
hang out in a neighborhood pub restaurant. They loved having a drink or
a beer and at the same time they enjoyed eating a good meal - they knew
that with some persistence and some luck they’d get good staff to make
and serve some good food. They also wanted to push their luck and see
if they could make some money with it. Almost 10 years later, this
bunch
of friends are still doing the same. Since then, thousands of people
have come through the doors and had a good meal and some good fun too,
heck - some people had great memorable times as well. The Grand Bayou
has served some 60,000 meals in it's existence - there has to be a
reason. All that we can say is that - if you have never tried the Grand
Bayou, it's about time you did! If you have any questions or
would like to inquire about group or special events, please do not
hesitate to contact one of our managers at (514) 284-2804 or by email
at: manager@grandbayou.com.
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Montréal's
past is a prominent and colourful chapter in the history of Canada and
the province of Québec. It accounts for a lot of the politics of
Canada today. Before the French came to Québec with ideas of
Napoleon's Second Empire, the Algonkian, Huron and Iroquois shared the
area, not always peacefully. Jacques Cartier was the first European to
set foot on the island of Montréal, but it wasn't until 1642
that a permanent European settlement was established and 'the mountain'
was named Mont Royal, from which the city probably took its name. It
soon became a major fur-trading post, a business the Iroquois wanted
for themselves, and attacks on the colony occurred regularly until 1701
when a peace treaty was signed. With a burgeoning fur trade,
Montréal became an exploration base and the commercial hub of
France's North American empire, Nouvelle France. Many of the buildings
from the period can still be seen in Vieux Montréal today.
However, trouble
bubbled away, first the protracted French and Indian war (1754-63
marked the turning point in French influence throughout north America.
This paved the way for the British to take Québec City in 1759
and before long Montréal also fell. In 1763, Canada officially
became a British colony and settlers began to pour in. However, the
anti-British rebellious American colonies also had designs on the
territory and took Montréal. But without French-Canadian
support, they were soon forced to beat a hasty retreat from both
Québec City and Montréal.
Despite the
decline of Montréal as a fur-trading player, the city continued
to grow and prosper as expanding shipping and rail lines turned the
city into Canada's commercial and cultural centre. Much of its
diversity came from central- and eastern-European immigrants looking
for work, and ethnic districts continued to expand into the 20th
century; there was a particularly large influx of Jewish Europeans.
This trend continued after both world wars, when immigrants flowed into
the city, which had developed a reputation as something of a Gomorrah,
due partially to Prohibition in the USA. Despite its seedy underbelly,
a middle class began to emerge as Montréal fashioned itself into
a manufacturing centre.
By the early
1950s a new mayor, Jean Drapeau, was drawing up plans that would change
the face of the city. Labelled a meglomaniac by critics, Drapeau
nonethless succeeded in cleaning up the city, encouraging redevelopment
and enhancing Montreal's international reputation with both the World's
Fair in 1967 (which pulled in over 50 million visitors) and the Olympic
Games in 1976. Apart from a five-year period in the early 60s, Drapeau
remained a popular mayor until the mid-80s. Nonetheless, during this
time Toronto had well surpassed Montréal as Canada's economic
capital. This was in no small part due to the uncertainties stirred up
by a growing Québec separatist movement that became a dominant
political cause in the 1960s. This launched the 'Quiet Revolution' that
eventually gave French Québecers more sway in industry and
politics and saw the supremacy of the French language in the province.
On the back of
growing high-tech industries Montréal managed to emerge from
economic hardship, and modernisation of the city took off again
throughout the 1990s as the riverfront and Vieux Port area were
redeveloped and enhanced.
Downtown has
undergone a transformation into an alluring blend of European and North
American forms, accompanied by plenty of debate on future modernisation
and preservation projects. Despite the robust conjecture, the
Montréal of today is altogether a more cheerful and prosperous
place as the developments bring economic revival to an already
culturally rich and complex city.
Open
for Lunch and Dinner
Sunday -
Thursday
11am - 10pm
Friday &
Saturday 11am - 11pm
The spacious
brick walled bar is a
favorite gathering spot offering six beers on tap including
Boréale and Heineken. Try a world class top shelf martini. Meet your
friends at the Grand Bayou.
Bar
Hours
Sunday -
Thursday
11am - 1am
Friday &
Saturday 11am - 3am
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