MONTREAL – The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has launched a compliance intervention against a popular St-Henri brunch spot over the use of the Yiddish word “nosh” on its exterior signage.
The action against Arthurs Nosh Bar is the latest in a series of disputes resulting from the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government’s mandate to increase the visibility of French in public spaces. Under regulations that took effect on June 1, 2025, businesses must ensure French is clearly predominant on exterior signs, even when trademarks contain words from other languages.
Raegan Steinberg, co-owner of the restaurant along with her husband Alex Cohen, received a letter on June 9, 2026, regarding a complaint about the signage displayed on the establishment’s windows.
“Nosh is the Yiddish word for ‘grab a bite’ or ‘have a nibble.’ We thought it was a perfect fit,” Steinberg said.
The restaurant, which opened on Notre-Dame Street in 2016 and has since expanded to other locations and a bistro called Romies, holds a trademark for the name “Arthurs Nosh Bar.”
Steinberg noted that while “Bar” is considered bilingual, the agency does not recognize “Arthurs” as French. She described the process of trying to bring the restaurant into compliance as “frustrating,” stating that the agency “didn’t offer much of a solution.”
Enforcement of Quebec’s French-Language Charter
The OQLF is the regulatory body responsible for enforcing Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, often referred to as Bill 101, which makes French the official and common language of public life in the province and sets detailed rules for the language of commerce, business and signage.
Since the CAQ government took office in 2018, the administration has strengthened the Charter through legislative changes, including Bill 96, and increased the resources available for language inspections as part of a broader policy to reinforce French as Quebec’s working and public language.
François Laberge, a spokesperson for the OQLF, confirmed the intervention was prompted by a complaint, in keeping with the agency’s standard practice of opening files when members of the public report potential violations.
“The Office’s intervention therefore concerns the trademark display, since it contains a word in a language other than French – ‘nosh’ – and French does not clearly predominate within the same visual field,” Laberge explained.
The requirement that French be “clearly” or “markedly” predominant on commercial signage applies even when a business has registered a trademark in another language, unless the mark qualifies for limited exemptions under the Charter’s regulations on the language of commerce and business.
The drive for stricter signage compliance has previously targeted other businesses on Notre-Dame Street. Last year, the Burgundy Lion Pub faced a similar dispute when the OQLF questioned the use of the word “Burgundy” on its sign-a reference to the Little Burgundy neighborhood. In that instance, the agency eventually apologized and allowed the signage to remain, after the case drew public criticism and political attention.
Scale of Language Inspections
The increase in regulatory activity is reflected in the OQLF’s recent operational data and budget. Since 2018, the government has doubled the agency’s annual budget to $49 million, giving it greater capacity to respond to complaints and conduct proactive inspections.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the agency reported the following:
- Total complaints received: 10,371
- Complaints regarding service in French: Approximately 40%
- Inspections conducted: 9,813
The number of inspections conducted during this period is nearly triple the volume carried out six years prior, underscoring how language policy has become an increasingly active field of provincial enforcement.
Response and Community Impact
Steinberg, who identifies as a proud French-speaking Quebecer with family roots in Joliette and Quebec City, posted a video of the dispute on social media on June 9, 2026. The video received thousands of views, drawing both support for small businesses and criticism from those who argue such signage undermines Quebec culture and the province’s efforts to prioritize French.
The reaction places Arthurs Nosh Bar at the centre of a recurring debate over where to draw the line between protecting French and accommodating the multilingual, multicultural identities of neighbourhoods like St-Henri. Similar interventions by the OQLF in recent years have prompted questions from business groups about regulatory predictability and from language advocates about whether enforcement is robust enough.
“Given the difficulties of day-to-day life, that this is what we’re dealing with is frustrating,” Steinberg said. “I think it’s a really hard time for small businesses, and we’re just trying to do our best.”
The OQLF stated that it is currently assisting Arthurs Nosh Bar with corrective measures to bring the storefront into compliance with the June 2025 regulations, a process that typically involves redesigning signage so that French text is more visually prominent than any non-French elements.
