About Chez LEO
Chez Leo started in 1961 and has been a fixture in the community for over 56 years. Locally run by the Bourgeois family who lives in the community, they take pride in providing high-quality fast food and great friendly service. Chez Leo aims to serve locally sourced products as much as possible.
Our Story
1954
MR gallant rebuilt it
In 1953, a fire completely destroyed the canteen. The next year, Mr. Gallant rebuilt it. Later, he transformed it into a restaurant and installed a few tables and a jukebox.
1961
Where it all started
In 1961, Mr. Léo Vienneau, a businessman from Shediac, bought the restaurant and named it Chez Leo Fried Clams.
1950
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Bayview Canteen
The story begins in 1948 when Gérard Gallant, who lived a short walk down the road from our current location, opened a small canteen, called Bay View Canteen in order to sell mainly lobster.
1964
The good ole' 60s
For many years, the restaurant was managed by Marianne and Reginald Brun. They built a small house attached to the restaurant where they lived with their five children for a few years.
1975
2nd generation
In 1975, Cécile, the daughter of Léo Vienneau, along with her husband, Albert Léger, bought the restaurant. In the early 1980s, in order to meet the growing number of customers, they built a large dining room.
1997
The bourgeois family
Since 1997, Francis and Catherine Bourgeois have owned the restaurant. They lived across the road from the restaurant. Before buying it, Catherine already knew the place very well since she had worked there every summer with Marianne and Reginald from 1966 to 1971.
2001
Atlantic seafood festival
Over the years, the restaurant has won numerous culinary awards. The restaurant was crowned with a prestigious title of excellence for its succulent fried clams in a competition organized under the auspices of the first Atlantic Seafood Festival in Moncton. The first year was in 2001 thanks to the famous fried clams, whose recipe is secretly kept.
2015
The family tradition continues
Since 2015, Justin Bourgeois, son of Francis and Catherine, manages the restaurant. He and his great team work extremely hard to keep the Chez Léo tradition alive.
Chez Léo welcomes many tourists during the summer season, but more importantly, the canteen thrives thanks to the support of loyal customers from the region. Many make the trip to Shediac Bridge for its dishes. Some make the trip for poutine-style curly fries. Others desire the scallop burgers. Many fans make their way to Chez Léo for their delicious fried chicken, hamburgers and lobster rolls. But mostly, the main reason for making the detour when driving on Route 11 is clear: people love their famous fried clams.