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Smoke's Poutinerie bringing gravy-smothered fries to a state near you

The cold country up north that brought you Justin Bieber and maple syrup is growing its newest sensation in the U.S.: Smoke's Brands.

July 28, 2016 by Matthew Harper — Intern, Networld Media Group

When one thinks of international sensations, Great Britain is the first to come to mind. "Doctor Who," the Beatles and One Direction are just a few cultural phenomena that came across the sea. Canada, however, also loves to share its cultural phenomena — the same former northern British province that brought you Justin Bieber and maple syrup is now credited with introducing gravy-smothered fries to the states. Smoke’s Poutinerie opened its first U.S. unit two years ago in Berkley, California, and has consumers on both sides of the border falling in love with it

"We have grown coast to coast in Canada and are now doing the same in the United States," Smoke's Brands founder and CEO Ryan Smolkin said in an interview with FastCasual. "System sales have been trending upwards for 20 consecutive quarters."  

Smoke’s Poutinerie, owned by Smoke's Brands, has a strategy in place to open 800 locations in the United States by 2020, first on the West Coast and then in the northeast and upper midwest regions.

"We call this our 'Global Domination' strategy," Smolkin said.

Teaching the U.S. about poutine

Educating Americans about poutine, a classic Canadian dish made up of fries, gravy and cheese curds, is one of the chain's goals. Letting them know Smoke's takes the idea a bit further is also part of the agenda. In true fast casual fashion, guests can customize poutine with a variety of different toppings from bacon to vegetables.

One of its most recently debuted items, the Mac Daddy poutine, has Smolkin excited. 

"It's been almost 40 years since Smoke first invented the Mac Daddy Poutine. Now, just in time for the Olympics, Smoke can finally shock and amaze our fans."

Smoke's Poutinerie isn't the only brand Smolkin founded.Smoke's Brands is plural, consisting of Smoke's Poutinerie, Smoke's Weinerie and Smoke's Burritorie.

"Each brand is already successful across the country on their own, but together they’ll create an insane gastronomical sensation unlike anything the world has ever seen," Smoklin said.

In Ajax, Canada, the concept opened a "Smoke's Food Court," where all three concepts are adjacent to one another in the same food court.

Meanwhile in America, consumer reception for the brand has been overwhelming, Smolkin said.

Huge crowds that stretched around the block welcomed the first Smoke’s Poutinerie U.S. franchise location, which opened in December 2014, in Berkeley, California, adjacent to the University of California. The second U.S. unit opened in June 2015, in Hollywood, located in the trendy Cahuenga Corridor.

From there, nothing could stop the brand from growing.

"Additional U.S. locations are open in Las Vegas in the new Pawn Plaza, beside the world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, Tampa and Glendale, Arizona," Smolkin said. "We recently announced two multi-unit signed agreements on the east coast and in the midwest. We will be opening locations in Michigan (Detroit, Ann Arbor, East Lansing), Ohio (Columbus), Indiana (West Lafayette), Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware," 

Technology works

Technology is one of the top ways Smoke's Brands drives consumer engagement, Smolkin said, and the company uses "typical technology," including POS, website and social media presence, but is also launching a mobile rewards loyalty program.

"We have an incredibly loyal fan base that is very active on social media. They constantly communicate using mobile, so we wanted to create an app that integrates mobile functionality and social media," he said.

About Matthew Harper

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Matthew Harper is in the Seminary Track program at Boyce College, and is nearing completion of his M.Div. at Southern Seminary  He works at the campus writing center where he provides feedback and edits student papers. He interned in the editorial department at Networld Media Group for two years, and won a national award in a student short story competition. He attends and serves at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville and hopes to one day pursue ministry overseas.