My first landing in this beautiful country -Canada- was in the city of #Montreal, and afterwards, I moved to live in #Laval. As a food enthusiast, I thought to share the following facts about the growing Laval F&B scene -Laval has recently celebrated its 60 years versus Montreal, which is 383 years old!
1. Agrifood / Food Processing Strength in Laval
About 30% of Laval’s territory is zoned agricultural. Laval has an established agri-food sector with greenhouses, meat processing, and other related food industries.
The food & beverage manufacturing side is significant: in one source, Laval is said to have 150+ agrifood enterprises, with sales of about CAD $1.3 billion, contributing significantly to the local GDP.
2. Number of Restaurants and Employment in Laval
Laval had ~819 eateries in 2019 (restaurants, cafés, etc.), generating around 11,300 jobs (bars and taverns excluded).
The F&B sector in Laval includes a large number of farm-to-table / locally sourced operations, and there’s a growing emphasis on “taste of Laval” branding.
3. Comparative Scale vs Montreal
Montreal still dominates in sheer number of food establishments. 70.8% are in Montreal versus much smaller shares in Laval.
The share of fast food restaurants: Montreal has ~534 fast food establishments (≈17.4% of Quebec’s total), and Laval has ~125 (≈4.1%).
For general restaurants (not just fast food), Laval has ~497 restaurants in one dataset (~4.1% of Quebec’s total), while Montreal has many more.
4. Quality, Local Sourcing, Identity, Customer Preferences
There is a rising desire among Laval’s consumers for “locally sourced” food, and more restaurants are promoting locally sourced ingredients. Suppliers, farmers, and distributors in Laval are more tightly connected to the restaurant industry than before.
Laval is seeing more independent cafés and artisanal/boutique food operations, which may help attract customers who appreciate local tastes.
5. Economic Development & Infrastructure Support
Laval’s economic development agencies are investing in support structures: agricultural innovation, zoning, land reparcellation, etc., to facilitate agrifood business growth.
Projects like “The Tablée des Chefs” in Laval (meal prep/training kitchens) indicate that the city is making efforts to build capacity locally.
Laval is increasing its share somewhat of the F&B/restaurant market. Some drivers:
Proximity: Laval is close to Montreal; people who live in Laval but used to drive into Montreal for nice restaurants may now have more quality options locally.
Cost/Convenience: Renting, labor, and overhead may be cheaper in Laval; people prefer to stay closer to home rather than commuting into Montreal. Also, parking might be easier, and traffic less dense.
Consumer Preferences: More demand for local, sustainable, artisanal food is benefiting smaller operations, which are easier to set up in less central locations.
Population Growth/Suburbanization: Laval is growing in population and density; this increases the market for local restaurants.
Montreal still has a huge lead in volume (number of establishments, range of cuisine, reputation, tourist traffic).
Many high-end, niche, or trend-setting F&B businesses remain concentrated in Montreal.
Infrastructure, cultural pull, and tourism all still heavily favor Montreal.
Revenue/profit data: It’s not just the quantity of restaurants, but also sales volume and margins.
Customer behavior: How many people from Laval are going to Montreal less often or spending more locally?
Tourism vs local customers: Montreal draws tourists, which gives its restaurants a boost that Laval may not have (or is less exposed to).
Bottom Line
Laval is definitely growing in food & beverage, both on the supplier/agricultural side and on the restaurant side. It’s not yet at a point where it’s matching Montreal in scale or reputation, but its share is increasing. For many locals, Laval offers increasingly compelling alternatives to Montreal restaurants.
Montreal restaurants likely face higher risk but also higher potential upside: more customers, more varied demand, more visibility, and perhaps more opportunity to charge premiums, especially in tourist or high-traffic areas.
Laval restaurants may have lower operating costs in many cases (rent, overhead) and possibly a steadier base of local customers, so profitability could be more stable, but perhaps growth is more limited unless well-positioned.
So, profitability might be better on average in certain parts of Montreal, especially prime locations, but Laval may offer a better risk/reward tradeoff for smaller or newer restaurants (lower risk of ruin, lower upfront cost).
The day I decide to open my own café/restaurant, it will definitely be in Laval for many reasons. Ask me why, and I will tell you about it.
Cafe de Vie 