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Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant facts for kids
| Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant | |
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Bens storefront (2005)
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1908 |
| Closed | 2006 |
| Food type | Jewish kosher style delicatessen |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 990 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West |
| City | Montreal |
| State | Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°30′08″N 73°34′24″W / 45.502091°N 73.573363°W |
Bens De Luxe Delicatessen and Restaurant, often just called Bens, was a very famous deli in Montreal, Canada. It was known for its delicious Montreal-style smoked meat sandwiches. Bens was a popular spot, especially late at night, and many famous people loved to eat there. It was open for almost 100 years, from 1908 to 2006, making it the oldest deli in Montreal.
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Bens' entrance, designed in the Art Deco style.
Contents
Bens' Location and Style
Bens restaurant was located at 990 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West in downtown Montreal. It was a brown brick building with three floors. The building was designed in 1950 by Charles Davis Goodman.
The restaurant's inside looked like it hadn't changed much over the years. It had bright green and yellow walls with shiny chrome. There was a long counter with chrome stools. The chairs were bright yellow, orange, and green. The walls were covered with photos of famous people who had eaten there. This area was even called "Bens Wall of Fame." Waiters at Bens wore black bow ties, white shirts, and black pants.
The Story of Bens
How Bens Started and Became Famous
Benjamin Kravitz, who came from Lithuania, and his wife Fanny, from Ukraine, opened a sweet shop in Montreal in 1908. Soon, they started selling smoked meat sandwiches, using Benjamin's mother's special recipe.
They moved their restaurant a few times, finally settling at their last location in 1949. Bens was open almost all day, every day, closing only for cleaning. This location was in a busy area near theaters and hotels. It became a favorite place for celebrities and movie stars to eat late at night.
Benjamin Kravitz passed the business to his sons, Irving, Sollie, and Al. They were often seen working at the deli. When Bens was most popular, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, it had 75 employees. Customers would often wait in long lines just to get in.
Many famous people visited Bens. These included Canadian Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau and Paul Martin, and Quebec Premiers like René Lévesque. Artists such as Leonard Cohen and Irving Layton also ate there. Entertainers like Ed Sullivan and Bette Midler were customers. Sports stars like Gordie Howe and Jean Béliveau (from the Montreal Canadiens) also enjoyed Bens' food.
You can even see Leonard Cohen entering Bens and being interviewed there in a 1965 film. It's called Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr Leonard Cohen and you can find it online.
People often argued whether Bens or Schwartz's, another famous deli, had the best smoked meat sandwich. Bens served thinly sliced meat piled high on rye bread. Schwartz's offered thicker cuts. Bens used to claim they invented smoked meat, but historians say this isn't true.
Bens' Decline and Closing
The 1990s were tough for Bens. The owner, Irving Kravitz, passed away in 1992. His wife Jean and son Elliot took over. The restaurant started to have fewer customers and problems with its workers. The number of staff went down, and some people felt the food and service weren't as good as before.
Even though locals started to have a poor opinion of Bens, tourists still liked it. They enjoyed its long history and charming old-fashioned look.
The end for Bens began on July 20, 2006, when employees went on strike. The restaurant closed and never reopened. On December 15, 2006, the building was sold, bringing Bens' long history to an end.
Debate Over Saving the Building
After Bens closed, the new owners planned to build a tall hotel on the property. But many people wanted to save the old Bens building. For almost two years, the building sat empty. It was even named one of the top 10 endangered places in Canada by the Heritage Canada Foundation.
Some people called Bens a "cultural icon." Others, like an editorial in the Montreal Gazette, disagreed. They called it a "cheap" and "soulless" building. However, the Art Deco Society of Montreal wanted it saved. They thought it could be a tourist attraction or even a movie set because of its special Streamline Moderne style. They asked the city to stop the demolition and declare it a heritage site.
Demolition and Remembering Bens
On April 4, 2008, the city of Montreal decided to allow the building to be torn down. On June 3, the city council voted to demolish it. A condition was that the new building must somehow remember the deli.
Demolition started on September 25. The famous Bens wrap-around sign was removed on October 1. The tall red Bens sign, which could be seen from far away, was taken down on October 29. The demolition was finished in November.
Many items from the deli, like signed photos from the "Wall of Fame," menus, and signs, were given to the McCord Museum. The large red letters from above the main entrance are now on display at Concordia University.
In 2014, the McCord Museum held an exhibit called "Bens: The Legendary Deli." It showed about 100 items, including menus, photos, and dishes, helping people remember the famous restaurant.
Images for kids
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Bens storefront (2005)