WATCH ABOVE: A pair of entrepreneurial foodies are looking to open a French Canadian-inspired restaurant in Beaumont and they’ve enlisted the help of Kickstarter.
EDMONTON — Sylvia and Darren Cheverie are following their dreams of opening up their own restaurant, a rustic French Canadian restaurant, Chartier, located in the heart of Beaumont.
“The food at Chartier will be paying homage to some of those French Canadian classics that a lot of people grew up with, especially from Quebec,” said Sylvia.
While it may sound like an ordinary business venture, the couple is taking a less-than-traditional approach to acquire funding for the brasserie.
The Beaumont couple has taken to Kickstarter to raise the $95,000 needed to get things off the ground. Kickstarter is an online crowdfunding platform that, since its launch in 2009, has helped fund 81,000 projects thanks to the donations of about 8.3 million people.
“I feel that Kickstarter is a great opportunity to test the market that we’re about to dive into,” said Darren.
READ MORE: Man who raised $55K on Kickstarter to make potato salad throws party
People can pledge as much or as little as they’d like toward the Cheveries’ project, starting at $25. In return, supporters will receive a reward for their investment if Chartier becomes a reality. For example, a person who pledges $25 will get two complimentary appetizers, a shout out on the restaurant’s website and their name added to the family wall.
“Essentially we’re asking you to invest in your experience before our doors are actually open,” said Sylvia.
WATCH BELOW: The Cheveries’ Kickstarter pledge video
With a passion for food and Beaumont, the Cheveries hope the atmosphere at Chartier will recreate the feeling you get when you go to a friend’s house for dinner.
“We’re hoping the restaurant is going to feel like home,” said Darren. “There’s something about sharing moments with strangers, and that may sound odd, but I’ve been blessed to be a part of engagements, be a part of weddings, be a part of birthdays, be a part of anniversaries.”
“I think that’s what we’re looking forward to the most out of all of this, is getting to share the experience of food and share that passion that we have for food together into something that is actually ours,” added Sylvia.
They hope it will also make the town south of Edmonton a destination for foodies everywhere.
“That’s what our hope is, is to help kind of put Beaumont on the map for more than just a place to live.”
As of Sunday afternoon Sylvia and Darren had raised nearly $50,000 of their $95,000 goal. They have until Monday, May 4 to raise the funds. If the goal is not reached by then, everyone who has invested in the restaurant will get their money back.
Kickstarter opened up to Canadian creators in September 2013.
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