We had the good fortune of connecting with Imad Nabwani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Imad, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After more than 15 years operating highly successful restaurants for a leading Canadian company, I decided to realize a cherished dream in 2011. As a young beginner in the hospitality industry, I fell in love with the brasserie and hotel culture of Paris. Only when I felt I had accumulated enough experience to transform the dream into a business reality, I made the move to create a slice of Paris in Montreal: Le Pois Penché. My formula is: an obsessive dream + rich experience + self-confidence + a strong desire to make others happy equals your best shot at success. Never fear mistakes—expect them and improve always.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Many have called my restaurant, Le Pois Penché, their favourite French brasserie in downtown Montreal. This is a remarkable compliment to my team and a satisfying personal achievement. I live by one principle: do not reinvent the wheel—master it. We believe that our greatest competitive advantage is our devotion to hospitality. To making our guests feel happier when they leave that when they came in. Getting here was hard. It took a couple of years of not making money and stubborn determination to improve. To make the public feel that Le Pois Penché was a place worth discovering and worth returning to again and again. It is a daily, never-ending commitment to uphold your principles and get better at things which others may not consider important. The most important lesson learned is that no matter how impossible and hard something may seem at any given time, there is always a solution. My brand, Golden Square Mile Hospitality, is all about creating important restaurant destinations where hospitality values thrive, I keep my eyes on the opportunities of the future and treat every day as a beginning.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Here’s my quick Montreal tour. We start at Pois Penché. Warm up. Lunch, brunch and dinner. And off we go! Some of my absolute musts include: Schwartz’s famous smoked meat, brunch at Beauty’s, Jewish classics at Snowdon Deli, St. Viateur Bagels, Marché Jean-Talon for food and fresh goods, a drink downtown at Cloakroom, dinner at the Syrian restaurant Damas, an energizing smoothie at Tropé, breakfast at Arthur’s, ice cream at Kem CoBa, shopping and museums in the Golden Square Mile neighbourhood, strolling through Old Montreal, and running up the stairs at the top of Peel St, all the way to Mount Royal park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My father. To this day, he is a respected lawyer in Damascus and he would have loved it if I followed in his footsteps. However, when he realized my passion for the hospitality business—and perhaps my natural talents for it—he said, “Very well. But if you’re going to do this, do it to the absolute best of your ability.” Sometimes, that’s all the confidence you need.

Website: https://lepoispenche.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lepoispenche/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imad-nabwani-b67142b/?originalSubdomain=ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LePoisPenche/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.