Frite Alors Renamed Its 'Vladimir' Poutine To Honour The President Of Ukraine

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused quite a lot of controversy for Quebec's prized dish, the poutine! Many restaurants have even gone as far as taking the dish name off their menu completely, despite poutine having absolutely nothing to do with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Well, it seems as if Frite Alors, the popular Montreal chain restaurant specializing in Belgian fries, has hopped onto the bandwagon. Frite Alors changed the name of one of their poutines, 'La Vladimir,' named after Putin, to 'La Volodymyr,' named after the Ukrainian president.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, co-owner and director of product development of Frite Alors, Yannick de Groote said that they "realized that maybe it wasn't the right name anymore," prompting them to change the long-lasting menu item for good.

Yannick mentioned that it only took "one or two reactions from the public" to rename the poutine, and their decision to do so was a way to show solidarity for the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We looked for solutions and following another five or six emails and suggestions on our website, we immediately wanted to change that. One of our associates said, 'Vladimir, Volodymyr is almost the same sound," and alas the change happened.

For Frite Alors, the name change was more than just appeasing public recommendation. Yannick said the change was a way for the restaurant to express its disagreement towards Putin, who he described as a "person who keeps everyone on their toes and does things that are inconceivable these days."

Now, patrons can enjoy 'La Volodymyr' at Frite Alors, which is a classic poutine made up of Belgian fries, St-Guillaume cheese, and gravy.