Deborah Gagnon

The Climb

Training at Georgian College gave Deborah Gagnon the hospitality baseline that underpins steadiness, service, and the kind of operational discipline a dining room depends on. That grounding carries through a career that moved from service fundamentals into ownership and management, with Gagnon now serving as president of Dencan Restaurants and as General Manager and co-owner of Red's Eats, a role she has held since 2024. The work sits at the intersection of front-of-house visibility and back-of-house systems: keeping service moving while also carrying the responsibilities that come with ownership.

Today

At Red’s Eats, waste reduction is treated as part of the restaurant’s operating culture, not a separate campaign. Deborah Gagnon has framed that approach in personal terms: “I have been an animal- and nature-lover since I was a little girl,” she has said. The policy shows up in practical changes, including the switch to stainless steel dog water bowls for canine guests instead of plastic bowls. Straw service follows the same logic. “Red’s Eats will pass out paper straws upon request, but hope that guests opt to drink their beverages, as most of us do at home, without a straw.” The point is measured reduction, worked into service in a way that stays close to the rhythms of the restaurant.

Signature

The lobster roll sits at the center of Deborah Gagnon’s signature work. It is a familiar dish, but in this context it functions as a marker of restaurant identity and of the kind of food craft that depends on consistency, restraint, and knowing what the guest expects.

In Their Words “Red’s Eats will pass out paper straws upon request, but hope that guests opt to drink their beverages, as most of us do at home, without a straw.” “It saddens and upsets me to see trash in our oceans, animals imprisoned in plastic and trash, and trash thrown without care all over our land.”

Recognition

Her distinction lies in the overlap between co-ownership, day-to-day management, and a clear commitment to reducing waste in service. Deborah Gagnon’s profile is defined less by gesture than by operating choices: the lobster roll, the restaurant floor, and the practical decisions that shape how Red’s Eats presents itself to the guest.