Brace for Thursday's Rebirth This Month

Thursday's will mark a return to Crescent sometime this month, a spokesperson tells Eater Montreal. The 40-year-old restaurant and bar had been set for demolition but a plan for a multi-purpose residential and commercial project was mothballed when owner Bernard Ragueneau made a grand bargain with developers to preserve his investment rather than sell Thursday's and Hôtel de la Montagne for a reported $50 to $60 million. Son Torrance Ragueneau will now manage the business.

The reboot of the landmark was scheduled for January but, as so often is the case, was met with delays. And while the physical makeover of the old Thursday's will be impressive, the Herculean task for Ragueneau fils will be to lure customers - local, younger customers, especially - to a place left stale over the decades in tandem with Crescent's demise as a trendy strip of note.

One way to accomplish this, perhaps, is to hire a name chef with experience to helm the kitchen and upgrade the menu. With past stints at the likes of Globe, Les Caprices de Nicolas, Club des Pins, La Bastide, Ferreira, M sur Masson and Projet 67, is Chicoutimi native Jean-François Vachon the man for the job?

Loyal regulars can see what Ragueneau, Vachon et al. have done with the old Thursday's at the end of June. As the spokesperson explains: "We will be opening the Bistro and the Bar first, and the Club will open in the next month or so. Clients will be able to reserve their tables on our website or directly through Bookenda, but we will only be doing a Grand Opening near the month of August/September."

· Thursday's [Official Site]
· Thursday's Goes From Demolition to Redesign [Gazette]
· The 12 Most Anticipated Montreal Restaurant Openings [-EMTL-]