The Secret to Happiness: Meet our General Manager Tom Bourbonnais

It is time that we have introduced our new General Manager, we are delighted to welcome aboard Tom Bourbonnais to the del’s family.

With more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, Tom has the hallmarks of a restaurant manager who is in it for the love of a good experience for the guests. Where some may expect a level of toughness or cynicism from a Manager of his calibre, Tom Bourbonnais exudes an easy energy that says,” No matter what is going on, I’m going to stay positive.” This is not a façade built on years of customer service and practise; He is one of those rare people that are always delighted to see you and know more about you. His personal mantra reflects this perfectly. “I can’t expect any of our guests to have a better time than I am having.”

Early in his career, he played an important part in the success of our sister restaurant, Moose Winooski’s and had a great relationship with the team and got to know the core values of Charcoal Group. “ They gave me a going away watch when I moved, and always felt like the team wanted to see me succeed, no matter if I was with a competitor”

“You know you can rely on the service and quality when it comes to Charcoal. The Moose was such a nurturing and positive place for me in my early career and it set me on a path that understood the value of a good manager. Coming to del’s, it meant I knew exactly what to expect in terms of the culture and the quality of the food here.”

Moving on to Beertown for a number of years, his creativity and spark really found their footing, developing playful menu items and managing the legendary beverage program that so many have come to know and love.

Now, he has found his home with Del’s Italian Kitchen. Recently voted as one of Canada’s Top 100 restaurants of Opentable, how did Tom react to this news and the pressure that comes with those accolades? “It was certainly a great signal of the standard that we set! I see it as a wonderful Congratulations, but I know we can’t let our foot off the gas!”

Come say hello to Tom, I guarantee he will make sure you are having as great a time as he is.