Seafood News Foodservice & Retail

Belgium’s Chez Léon stays true to roots

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By SeafoodSource staff
03 July, 2012 - Rue des Bouchers, a narrow cobbled street just a stone’s throw away from Brussels’ historic Grand Place, is crammed with seafood restaurants. The oldest of these is Chez Léon, which since 1893 has strived to brand itself as the place to visit in order to experience real Belgian food. The branding strategy is very much focused on giving customers the genuine Belgian dining experience.

“This is the original place,” says Commercial Director Thierry Scheers. “It is without pretention. If you go to EuroDisney, you become a kid again, because you are surrounded by things from your childhood. Everyone in Belgium grows up with sole, mussels and frites. So for Belgians who come to Chez Léon, they remember these things from their childhood.” 

This is evident from the restaurant’s interior, which, through a series of expansions over the decades, can now seat 420. A conscious effort has been made to connect with the family-owned restaurant’s turn of the century roots, with white-tiled walls, cosy brickwork and black-and-white photos of former patrons and chefs on the wall. 

“We adapt to new technologies, of course, in terms of hygiene, social media, etc.,” says Scheers. “But the feel of this restaurant should be like a Jaguar. This is why the architecture has stayed the same.” 

Click here to read the feature in its entirety from the June issue of SeaFood Business > 

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