The Biggest Restaurant in Canada Will Be a Shrine to Hockey

If there's one thing that can draw a crowd in Canada, it's hockey, and that's exactly what the Montreal Canadiens are banking on this year, with the opening of two new hockey-themed restaurants, one of which will be the biggest this country has ever seen.

The Habs' flagship restaurant will cover a whopping 25,714 square feet over three levels and will be able to feed a capacity crowd of more than 1,000 guests.

In an epic display of hockey-per-square-mile real estate, Taverne Moderne 1909, a reference to the Montreal Canadiens' inaugural season, will be located across the street from the Bell Centre, where the 2017 Canadiens play hockey, and within the 50-story Tour des Canadiens hockey-themed condo tower, also owned by the Montreal Canadiens.

The second Taverne Moderne 1909 location will be north of the city in Laval, in the Place Bell arena, a building also owned by the Molson family, who in addition to owning the Montreal Canadiens also own the Bell Centre as well as a beer empire.

According to a recent press release, the menu will feature "locally-sourced international cuisine, with 40 taps offering international, domestic, and locally crafted beers, an extensive wine list, and an innovative cocktail menu, creating a casual dining experience for fans of every sport."

But for all of that emphasis on local products, there have been some outside influences on the Canadiens' sports shrine. It was designed by the New York-based Rockwell Group, who also designed José Andrés's Jaleo, Bobby Flay's GATO, and a bunch of Nobus around the world.

The Montreal Canadiens also partnered with Ontario-based Cara Operations, which owns the iconic Swiss Chalet chain and the Bier Markt chain (which also has a location across from the Bell Centre), and famously caused a shitstorm when they bought Quebec rotisserie chain St-Hubert last year.

And while 25,714 square feet is massive by any standard (Guy Fieri's Times Square Flavortown palace is a mere 16,000 square feet), but the honor of biggest restaurant in the world still goes to Bawabet Dimashq Restaurant in Damascus, which seats 6,014 diners and covers 215,277 square feet.