« Chez Smoothzi, it's over » : how to prevent history from repeating itself

A year ago, we met Ramzi as a "Hood Hero." As the young owner of Chez Smoothzi, a restaurant that had become a place of cultural importance and community gathering, he planned to relocate the business to downtown Montreal this year to appeal to a broader clientele. Today, however, the adventure is ending. The victim of an "injustice" by his landlord, Ramzi must close Smoothzi’s doors on September 14, with no financial compensation.

Friday, August 15, Rivière-des-Prairies. It’s 3 p.m. The sun illuminates the facade of the Smoothzi restaurant. Inside, the atmosphere is as usual: warm, lively. The colourful walls now feature a few extra paintings. The family's father is behind the counter, busy with orders and dishes.

Among the customers, some come from distant neighbourhoods. This is the case for Steeve*, a teenager from Villeray: "I took two buses to get here. I won a combo on TikTok! More than an hour's journey in total," he explains. "It was worth it! Usually, I order on Uber Eats because they’re too far."

It was precisely this distance that had prompted the family to consider moving the restaurant to the city centre: to be closer to a clientele now expanded to Greater Montreal.

A few minutes later, Ramzi walks through the restaurant door. Bananas in one hand, a supply box in the other. The young man quickly places everything on the counter, then joins us to start the interview.

When asked how he's doing, he doesn’t take time to think about it. "That’s life. It's not that bad. It's true we wanted to leave, but not like this."

The plan was simple: sell the current business assets—everything that belongs to Chez Smoothzi in the restaurant—to finance the necessary renovations in the new location. The business was valued at $99,000, a sum that represented much more than just equipment. "There are things that aren't physical but that matter," Ramzi says. "We beautified this place, we gave it a soul, we built a loyal clientele, so there is more traffic here. All of that was part of the price."

In February, Chez Smoothzi informed its landlord that the lease would not be renewed in September. No paper was signed, just a conversation. The news quickly spread, and a potential buyer appeared. The negotiations dragged on, one after another, until both parties agreed on $70,000. "After thinking it over, it was a fair amount. We had made a counter-offer, but in the end, we decided that $70,000 would cover everything," he explains.

However, to secure a plan B, Ramzi and his broker agreed that if the sale fell through, they would renew the lease to buy time to find another buyer. But everything seemed to be going as planned, and Ramzi introduced the future tenant to the landlord.

To facilitate the new tenant’s move, Ramzi agreed to a sacrifice: giving up the summer, the most lucrative period for restaurants in Quebec. "I wanted to show good faith. Summer is obviously the most profitable time, but I was ready to miss that season."

"May 25, 2025, would have been Chez Smoothzi's fifth anniversary, the date when everything started at home. We said to ourselves: we'll leave on a high note, five years of history, have a little party... it was going to be joyful. And on June 1, I would give them the keys."

But the blow came: instead of proceeding with a lease termination as planned, the landlord signed a new lease for June. As soon as the new contract was in place, the buyer backed out of his $70,000 offer on the same day and proposed a lower price, which Ramzi refused. "I told him: 'Well, you've made us lose enough money and time, we'll find a new buyer.'"

As planned in his plan B, Ramzi intended to renew his lease before the June 15 deadline. But the landlord flatly refused: the new lease had just been signed.

"We hadn't even completed the financial transaction when she interfered by signing a new lease!" Ramzi says indignantly. "That’s really the main point that led to this situation."

Ultimately, the business was never sold. Chez Smoothzi found itself shut out of its own transaction, while the new occupant will take possession of the premises... without spending a dime on the business assets.

"They knew I'm young... that I don't know my rights"

Ramzi will have no choice but to liquidate the restaurant's equipment, knowing he will do so at a loss. "We tried everything, but we had to accept it. So, we're making the most of the time we have left. It's hard, yes... but maybe it was a lesson."

A lesson he shares on Instagram. His video, initially intended as a simple update, goes viral. Reactions pour in. Victims say they have experienced similar things. He then realizes he is not an isolated case. "I didn't know it was so common. And that's why I made this video: to warn others."

Today, he sees himself as the one who takes the hit first so that others can learn without falling into the same trap. "Later, if they find themselves in a similar situation, they'll call me, and I can help them avoid this kind of tragedy."

What angers the young man, however, is that he believes he was manipulated "because of [his] age." "I don't want to play the victim, but it's a fact: being young comes with a lot of challenges. I was ignorant about a lot of things. They know I'm young, that I wouldn't do anything, that I don't know my rights. So they took advantage of it."

Yet Ramzi doesn't view himself as a victim. "Money is the sinews of war... If you have to shake me up so I understand the business world, do it," he says with a half-smile. "It was harder on my parents, but I have big ambitions. I know this kind of ordeal can repeat itself. Now I know how to avoid it."

For its part, the Maxro group, which owns the premises, speaks of "a series of misfortunes."

"Chez Smoothzi informed us in February that they did not wish to renew the lease, and this information was conveyed to us orally. Then, they introduced us to a new tenant. We signed the lease in full transparency, with Chez Smoothzi present," a representative of the group, who did not wish to be identified, explains to La Converse on the phone.

"The day after the signing, Redouane [Ramzi’s father] called me to ask to wait, to give them time to finalize their private agreement for the sale of the equipment. They were still waiting for news on their agreement for the purchase of the equipment. But we had nothing to do with that transaction. Our only commitment was the lease," she insists.

In the same breath, she adds: "Their agreement with Chez Smoothzi fell through; they never paid the planned amount. But again, that wasn't our problem. I even tried to help in the negotiation, but I found myself stuck: on one side, the lease was already signed, on the other, the tenant was backing down on his decision to leave and finally wanted to stay."

"We didn't favour anyone," she continues. "We only protected our own interests. We had a legal lease, period."

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‍Chez Smoothzi 2.0

Despite this harsh conclusion and the tensions surrounding the lease, Ramzi refuses to be discouraged. According to him, the closure of Chez Smoothzi is not the end, but a transition. "We needed this break anyway," he says. "The first time, when we moved from home to the current location, everything happened in two weeks. We never had time to really get structured. Now, we're going to take our time, and we have the time. Three of us are losing our jobs," he says, letting the fact sink in.

His goal is clear: to relaunch the project in a new form, more solid and more ambitious. "When we reopen, I want to make a statement. It won't just be a move. It will be Chez Smoothzi 2.0. If people liked the first version, they'll love the second. But for that, we need preparation. I'm a perfectionist; I want to break the mold—and not just with marketing, but with impact."

At the heart of this project Ramzi talks about are new products, collaborations, and also events. "We want to rethink the restaurant model. Because to be honest, the current model is slowly dying. We found our strength: being close to the community."

In the meantime, each member of the family is forging their own path. Ramzi is moving towards consulting to help other entrepreneurs. "A lot of restaurateurs are going through difficult times. Often, they don't have the necessary perspective; they're trapped in the day-to-day. I want to give them that external perspective, show them what to adjust, where to shift, to turn their business into a success."

His mother is returning to her artistic roots, through painting workshops and a personal development program for artists. As for the father, he remains faithful to cooking: he is already preparing the foundations of Chez Smoothzi 2.0.

"Ultimately, this is a retirement. We're going to rest, recenter, and come back stronger. Because what we built here, we won't forget it. It's just the beginning of a new story," Ramzi concludes.

"Rivière-des-Prairies without Chez Smoothzi is going to leave a void"

In Rivière-des-Prairies, some already fear the void that Chez Smoothzi will leave behind.

Tassa and Iba, two teenagers who came to grab a snack after their back-to-school shopping, share the same opinion. "There's no other place like Chez Smoothzi in RDP," Iba begins. "Otherwise, we go to McDonald's or Tim Hortons, but it’s not the same."

Tessa adds: "You usually only find restaurants like this downtown. Chez Smoothzi closes late, it's affordable, and most importantly... even for girls, it's safe."

A little further away, among the young people sitting at the front, one of them confides to us: "I used to come at least once a month." Next to him, his friend clarifies: "He came once a month; I came once a week," he says, laughing.

"I was already ordering when it was still on Snapchat," the first one adds, before concluding: "When we see Chez Smoothzi, we see Rivière-des-Prairies, and Rivière-des-Prairies without Chez Smoothzi is going to leave a void... Ramzi is a role model. Now we feel bad knowing it's going to end..."

Customers have until Sunday, August 31, to savour the famous grilled cheeses and smoothies of Chez Smoothzi one last time. From September 1 to 14, the restaurant will be dedicated to reselling its equipment and furniture.

*Steeve is a fictional name. His name was changed at his request to preserve his anonymity.