Mr. Speaker, I rise here today to talk to you about an institution that has been part of the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun since 1929. Founded by Italian immigrants, Dilallo Burger became the first Italian restaurant chain in Montreal.
What differentiates Dilallo's from other restaurant chains is not only its famous upside-down buck burgers with peppers and cold cuts inside; rather, what makes Dilallo's special is the place that it has created in the community as a gathering place for close to 90 years.
By sponsoring local minor hockey teams, including one that included, at the same time, Mario Lemieux, Jean-Jacques Daigneault, and Marc Bergevin, they gave back. These three today, and others, including Ken Dryden, cannot resist Dilallo burgers.
Since the turn of the 20th century, Dilallo Burger has been a place that provided such a sense of community, that it seemed like the restaurant was an essential part of Ville-Émard. It has been a gathering place for the neighbourhood, the city, and several Montreal icons. This restaurant reflects the history of a family that settled in Canada and built a gathering place for generations. Congratulations.