La Cage – Brasserie sportive

La Cage – Brasserie sportive is a Canadian sports-bar restaurant brand founded in Quebec. The first restaurant opened in Old Montreal in 1984 under the name La Cage aux Sports, established by Georges Durst, an entrepreneur from Alsace. From its beginnings, the concept was built around communal sports viewing, particularly Montreal Canadiens hockey, with large screens, beer, casual food, and an atmosphere designed for both groups of sports fans and families. The brand’s franchising phase began in 1989, when Jean Bédard opened the first franchise in Saint-Hyacinthe. Bédard subsequently opened two additional restaurants and became president of the company in 1995. Under his leadership, La Cage expanded from a narrowly focused chicken-and-fries sports-bar proposition into a broader casual-dining business. Its beverage program grew from three beer varieties to approximately 24, while its food menu broadened beyond its original core to include a wider range of restaurant-style offerings. The chain was known for a highly theatrical interior style during the 1980s and 1990s. Restaurants commonly used wood paneling, red upholstery, sports pennants, and unusual decorative objects, including carousel horses, a British telephone booth, and the large yellow airplane suspended from the ceiling. In later decades, La Cage moved toward a more contemporary and minimalist restaurant design. Since 2017, a number of locations have undergone full renovations, with approximately 20 restaurants reported as having adopted the newer design by the early 2020s. The brand’s central proposition remains the combination of food, beer, and sports. Its venues show a broad range of televised sporting events, including hockey, tennis, curling, golf, football, baseball, mixed martial arts, and soccer. This positioning allows La Cage to function both as a destination for major sporting events and as a conventional casual restaurant outside game periods. Its geographic base is Quebec, although the chain has also operated a location in Bordeaux, France. Sources describe 38 Quebec locations and one French location in 2023, and 39 locations in total in 2024. La Cage has also extended its restaurant identity into retail grocery products. Frozen chicken wings and ribs began appearing in supermarkets in 1993. A more systematic grocery expansion started in 2019 through a three-year initiative covering condiments, spices, dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, burger patties, beer, and cider. Grocery demand increased substantially during the COVID-19 period, when reported grocery sales doubled. The pandemic also tested the restaurant model. In March 2020, Quebec public-health restrictions required restaurant dining rooms to close. La Cage operated only 14 restaurants for takeout during the initial closure period and supported production through a facility in Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville, in the Montérégie region, which received renovation investment for takeout meal preparation. The brand remains active as a Quebec-centered sports restaurant chain with a smaller international presence in France.

La Cage – Brasserie sportive began in 1984 when Georges Durst opened the first Cage aux Sports restaurant in Old Montreal. The concept was designed around sports viewing, with large screens, beer, casual food, and space for both groups and families to watch hockey and other televised events. Montreal Canadiens games were an important part of the original appeal, but the programming later extended to tennis, curling, golf, football, baseball, mixed martial arts, and soccer. The business moved into franchising in 1989. Jean Bédard opened the first franchise in Saint-Hyacinthe, later opened two more locations, and became president in 1995. His tenure coincided with the development of a larger Quebec restaurant network and a broadening of the format. Rather than relying solely on a simple chicken-and-fries offer, La Cage added a more varied casual-dining menu and expanded its beer selection from three varieties to approximately 24. The original restaurants had a distinctive, highly decorated visual identity. Interiors featured wood paneling, bright red upholstery, sports pennants, and novelty objects such as carousel horses, a British telephone booth, and a large yellow airplane hanging from the ceiling. Over time, the chain adopted a more minimalist design. Renovation work beginning in the late 2010s brought the newer format to a growing share of the network; five restaurants had been fully renovated since 2017, and approximately 20 locations were described as having the new design in the early 2020s. The brand retained its food-beer-sports formula while becoming more restaurant-like. Its venues continued to serve as places to watch major sporting events, but the menu and environment were intended to support ordinary family and group dining as well. In 2015, the company changed its public name from La Cage aux Sports to La Cage – Brasserie sportive. La Cage also developed a grocery business. Frozen chicken wings and ribs entered supermarkets in 1993. In 2019, the company launched a three-year effort to grow this channel, adding branded spices, dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, burger patties, beer, and cider. Grocery sales reportedly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced a major operational adjustment. In March 2020, Quebec ordered restaurant dining rooms to close. La Cage kept only 14 restaurants open for takeout and invested in renovations at a meal-production facility in Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville in the Montérégie region. This allowed the chain to support off-premise food service while its standard dining-room model was restricted. La Cage remains primarily a Quebec chain. Sources report 38 Quebec locations and one restaurant in France in 2023, followed by a total of 39 locations in 2024. Its presence in Bordeaux represents a limited international extension of a brand whose identity remains closely tied to Quebec sports culture and casual restaurant dining.

• 2020

  Pandemic operating response

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  Dining-room closures led the chain to operate selected locations for takeout and use a renovated production facility in Montérégie.

• 2019

  Three-year grocery expansion program begins

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  La Cage broadened its supermarket range beyond frozen wings and ribs to include sauces, condiments, patties, beer, and cider.

• 2017

  Modern restaurant renovation program begins

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  The company began a series of full restaurant renovations designed to introduce a more minimalist contemporary format.

• 2015

  Corporate name changes to La Cage – Brasserie sportive

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  The chain replaced the La Cage aux Sports name with its current brand identity.

• 1995

  Jean Bédard becomes president

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  After opening multiple franchise restaurants, Jean Bédard became president of the company.

• 1993

  Frozen products enter supermarkets

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  La Cage-branded chicken wings and ribs became available in the frozen-food aisle.

• 1989

  First franchise opens in Saint-Hyacinthe

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  Jean Bédard opened the first franchise location, beginning the chain's franchising expansion.

• 1984

  First restaurant opens in Old Montreal

  [1]La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org

  Georges Durst opened the first restaurant under the Cage aux Sports name, establishing the sports-viewing restaurant concept.

A Quebec sports-bar and casual-dining brand centered on the food-beer-sports combination, with a family-friendly environment, broad televised sports coverage, and an expanding retail-food presence.

• Casual dining · 1984

  Restaurant meals

  La Cage restaurants serve casual meals in a sports-bar setting. The original offer was strongly associated with chicken and fries, while later menus expanded into a broader range of restaurant dishes intended for families, groups, and customers attending games or other live sports broadcasts.

• Restaurant and grocery food · 1993

  Chicken wings and ribs

  Chicken wings and ribs are among the brand's best-known food offerings. In addition to being served in restaurants, La Cage began selling frozen versions through supermarkets in 1993, extending signature menu items into the grocery channel.

• Packaged food and beverages · 2019

  La Cage grocery range

  The grocery range includes frozen prepared foods as well as branded spices, dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, burger patties, beer, and cider. The line was expanded through a structured grocery-sales program launched in 2019.

• Beverages · 1984

  Beer and beverage service

  Beer is a central part of the brand's food-beer-sports proposition. Under Jean Bédard's leadership, the restaurant beverage selection grew from three beer varieties to approximately 24, supporting a broader casual-dining and sports-viewing experience.

• 2020

  Shift selected restaurants to takeoutStrategy

  Background

  Quebec public-health measures required restaurant dining rooms to close during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Action taken

  La Cage operated 14 restaurants for takeout and renovated a Montérégie production facility to support meal preparation, with reported renovation investment of $500,000.

  Aftermath

  The operating model temporarily shifted from in-restaurant sports dining toward takeout and grocery distribution.

  Renovation investment. $500,000 (2020)

  Source

• 2019

  Expand supermarket distributionStrategy

  Background

  La Cage had sold frozen wings and ribs through grocery stores since 1993 and sought to develop the channel more systematically.

  Action taken

  The company began a three-year program adding condiments, sauces, dressings, mayonnaise, burger patties, beer, and cider.

  Aftermath

  The grocery business became a more important extension of the restaurant brand, with reported sales doubling during the pandemic.

  Source

• 2017

  Modernize restaurant interiorsStrategy

  Background

  Earlier locations were known for highly themed interiors featuring wood, red upholstery, sports memorabilia, and novelty decorations.

  Action taken

  La Cage began full renovations using a more minimalist contemporary design, eventually applying the new format to approximately 20 restaurants.

  Aftermath

  The chain retained its sports-oriented positioning while updating the physical environment for a more traditional dining experience.

  Source

• 2015

  Rebrand from La Cage aux Sports to La Cage – Brasserie sportiveStrategy

  Background

  The chain had operated for decades under the La Cage aux Sports name while broadening its menu and moving toward a more conventional casual-dining format.

  Action taken

  The company adopted La Cage – Brasserie sportive as its public-facing name.

  Aftermath

  The new identity emphasized the continuing sports connection while presenting the business as a broader brasserie-style restaurant brand.

  Source

1. 1La Cage – Brasserie sportiveen.wikipedia.org