Published on June 30, 2025
Since 2014, the Aliments du Québec au menu program has brought together restaurants that prioritize local ingredients and showcase Québec producers. In celebration of the program’s 10th anniversary, dive into captivating restaurateur stories and savor the local passion that drives them.
Welcome to Vintage 5080 in Sherbrooke, a luxury fast-food destination where local ingredients meet the electrifying vibe of the ’50s to ’80s. Artisan burgers, decadent poutines, and creative milkshakes are served in a colorful, nostalgic setting — or on their terrace overlooking the Magog River on a beautiful summer day. Picture a jukebox playing, great music, karaoke nights, even dancing… It feels like stepping straight into Back to the Future or Grease! Behind this bold and unique concept is a passionate, visionary duo: Marie-Claude Matte and Bernard Beaulieu.
In this interview, Marie-Claude enthusiastically shares the story of the restaurant and the local mission that guides her.
I’ve always been passionate about cooking. As a teenager, I worked in a snack bar and later in a pastry shop, and I spent my free time in the kitchen. Just before opening Le Vintage 5080, I had the opportunity to work alongside a renowned chef for a few months — a defining experience. I had dreamed of opening my own restaurant for a long time. To equip myself with the right tools, I enrolled in the Kitchen Management program at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), where I built a strong foundation.
With my partner Bernard, we developed the restaurant concept with the goal of creating a luxury fast-food experience inspired by Québec cuisine. Very quickly, we made it our mission to use only local products. Every new dish is designed with that in mind. Of course, we don’t grow coffee or vanilla in Québec, but for those types of ingredients, we support local expertise by choosing Québec-based companies. Le Vintage 5080 opened its doors in May 2022.
Making customers happy. Seeing someone leave with a big smile, telling us they had a unique experience — that’s the greatest reward. It makes the fatigue and small worries disappear. We’re also driven by creating unique dishes. Take our mini ostrich burger, for example, sourced from a farm in Saint-Eustache, served on a beet bun from a Windsor bakery, topped with Coaticook spiced cheese, onion and cranberry jam from Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, house-made BBQ sauce, finished with apples from Verger Le Gros Pierre and fresh mesclun. A burst of local flavors in every bite!
Without a doubt, positioning ourselves primarily around Québec products. We still often hear that it’s more expensive, but with a bit of analysis, we realize that’s not necessarily true. From the start, we’ve made it a point to educate customers and show that the more we encourage local products, the more we contribute to making them accessible and affordable.
Today, people truly appreciate our focus on local products — which wasn’t always the case in the past. The biggest advantage, in my opinion, is the direct impact on our economy: by supporting local producers, we help them grow and eventually offer better prices. In short, the more we buy local, the more everyone benefits.
When guests walk in, we enjoy telling them about our commitment to local products. We love introducing them to foods from the Estrie region, like sausages from Les gars de saucisse in Windsor featured in our steamed hot dogs, or Bull’s Head cola made in Richmond. Our suppliers are also listed on the menu. We want our customers to spread the word and naturally associate us with this local movement.
Winter sourcing for fruits and vegetables remains a challenge. To manage this, we anticipate by ordering larger quantities in the fall (apples, pears, strawberries) and freezing them. We’ve also seen encouraging progress with greenhouse cultivation in Québec, which helps diversify offerings during the colder months.
Our excellent Québec cheeses, which form the base of most of our dishes.
Québec spirits and wines. People often talk about gin and craft beer, but the selection goes far beyond that. We even use some of these products in our recipes — like our Mac and Cheese patty with Québec vodka — in addition to serving them as pairings or in beautiful cocktails.
“When we launched Vintage 5080, we started from the idea that anything is possible as long as you don’t know it’s impossible.”
– Marie-Claude Matte, co-owner of Vintage 5080
Our ObĂ©lix burger is a true local delight. Made with wild boar from a farm in Sainte-Camille, it’s served on a soft bun from a Windsor bakery, topped with Coaticook cheddar, sweet pears from a Compton orchard, caramelized onions, crunchy mesclun, and a creamy stout mayo from a Coaticook microbrewery — all accompanied by delicious fries from a farm in Compton. A burger that’s not too big, just slightly “well-wrapped” — a playful nod to its name.Â
“They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it.” This famous quote by Mark Twain perfectly sums up our approach. When launching Vintage 5080, we started from the idea that anything is possible as long as you don’t know it’s impossible. We intentionally set aside some advice to follow a vision that truly reflected who we are — personal, thoughtful, and fully embraced.
We have many artists on our team! We host themed musical performances: vintage, crooner, French chanson, ’70s nights, and more.
We would have loved to franchise Vintage 5080, but we wonder whether a concept that requires so much research and constant adjustments can easily be replicated. Otherwise, our ambition is to make Vintage a local and provincial icon — recognized within our industry and leaving a tangible legacy.
In 2014, Aliments du Québec launched the Aliments du Québec au menu program to encourage restaurants to source locally and help consumers easily identify establishments that showcase Québec products on their menus. To date, more than 900 restaurants across Québec cook primarily with local ingredients.
