Popular Montreal 24-hour poutine spot La Banquise is under new ownership.

Longtime co-owners Annie Barsalou and Marc Latendresse sold the restaurant in the Plateau area to Emily Adam and Jean-Christophe Lirette, who also own other restaurants in Quebec.

“We’re not getting any younger,” Barsalou told CTV, explaining the decision to sell. “It’s [open] 24 hours you know so i think that takes a lot on you.”

Poutine, which is believed to have originated in Quebec in the 1950s, is a dish that mixes French fries with cheese curds and brown gravy.

Barsalou’s father operated La Banquise before she and Latendresse began to run it in 1994.

“La Banquise will stay La Banquise,” said Adam. “We’re really here to reassure people we aren’t going to change a winning recipe. The team will stay the same. Everyone is keeping their jobs.”

Adam and Lirette also own Chez Ashton in Quebec City and the Ti-Oui snack bar in their hometown of Saint-Raymond, Que.

Photo: La Banquise