Locals and tourists alike thrilled over Bijou at the Church announcement

Bijou at the Church will be the newest 70 Brunswick St. hospitality venture and lots of people, whether they live in Stratford and area or visit the city for theatre, are thrilled.

An iconic building in Stratford with a rich hospitality history will once again continue its legacy with Bijou at the Church.

Led by managing director Michael Lutzmann and general manager Mark Simone, Bijou at the Church will take over 70 Brunswick St. in the summer with an anticipated opening on July 24. The restaurant will offer casual fine dining and a space for weddings and events and feature local flavours of Perth County.

Simone said the announcement brings plenty of excitement and positive reception from the greater community, including more than 100,000 views between the announcement posts on Instagram and Facebook.

“The enthusiasm from the community is incredible,” he said. “We're excited, the team's excited and we're looking for this new fresh start at this legendary legacy building that has so much character and history and is such a beloved brand within the Stratford community and we're looking to just grow."

Bijou at the Church combines the legacy of Bijou restaurant, a hit with locals and tourists alike for 27 years, as well as the Church restaurant that ran from 1975 to 2016.

“Everybody we talked to just loves that branding and it basically allows two legendary and legacy-based brands to unite and to start the new start,” Simone said.

The building was also under Revival House up until recently.

Lutzmann said that many people in Stratford and outside of the city have fond memories of the building.

“Just the iconic state of this particular building is remarkable. The number of people that I speak to that said, 'Oh my gosh, my daughter got married there,’ and ‘We had the best meal ever before we went to the theatre back in the '80s,'” he said.  “I was at a party in Guelph last night and everybody knows that building. It's incredible. There are people from all over Ontario and they all knew about that building and they've all eaten there once before." 

For the latest updates on Bijou at the Church online, visit bijourestaurant.com, facebook.com/bijoustratford, or Instagram/bijourestaurant.