Students from across Ottawa lined up down the street for a free helping of the deep-fried, steaming cheesy goodness that is Smoke’s Poutine on Sept. 15.
Most of Ottawa’s poutine fans also happen to be students, according to the general manager Matt Jenkyns. It could be their metabolisms are the only ones who can take on the carb-filled dishes, or that there arguably isn’t a more perfect post-bar snack. Either way, students of Ottawa account for roughly 45 per cent of Smoke’s business, Jenkyns said.
That’s why Smoke’s Poutinerie’s Ottawa and London locations decided to offer free poutine to students between 2-5 p.m. This was the first time the franchise had ever targeted a specific group with their promotion, according to Jenkyns.
“Students are such a huge part of our demographic, we’re just happy to have them back,” he said.
His goal was to draw in 850-900 customers. When a similar promotion was held at Smoke’s Kingston location, they drew in roughly 800 customers. Jenkyns said his only goal for the day was to beat that mark.
Over the course of the three hours, he said the promotion drew in close to 1,000 customers, with the lineup extending down the street and around the corner, all the way to Dalhousie Street.
“The response was just so overwhelmingly positive,” said Jenkyns. “We’ll definitely be doing something like this every year.”
Kyla D’Amours and Olivia Suarez-Milan were two first-year students from Cornwall who were already on their second Smoke’s visit of the year. The first time D’Amours had ever tasted Smoke’s poutine had been two days prior, when she also learned about the promotion.
“It was so good I had to come back,” said D’Amours.
Dylan Crake, a first-year master’s student at University of Ottawa (U of O), enjoyed Smoke’s traditional poutine the most.
“I probably come to Smoke’s three to four times a month,” said the U of O student.
Taylor Woodfire, another first-year student, said she heard about the promotional giveaway from the restaurant’s Twitter feed.
The promotion was primarily advertised on their Facebook and other social media platforms, said Jenkyns.
In addition to the free classic Canadian delicacy, a photo contest was also held. The student who uploaded the most creative, funniest photo to the franchise’s Facebook page won free poutine for a year.
Jenkyns also hosted an eating contest and gave away a pair of Senators tickets.
“We’re having more fun than just free poutine,” he said. “I’m hoping people capture that fun in their photos.”
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