Father of Dilallo Burger leaves behind a taste of community

Gisele Frechette told Global News that Louis Di Lallo joked that she was too old to work at his restaurant at the age of 22. “And after 42 years, I’m still here,” she said, laughing.

Dilallo passed away Sunday at the age of 81. He is best remembered as the “father” of Dilallo Burger, an instantly recognizable Montreal institution that grew out of his father Luigi’s depanneur on Monk Street.

The Monk Street location in Ville-Emard was expropriated to build the metro station in the 1970s, forcing the family to move and establishing Dilallo Burger as a restaurant that eventually expanded into three franchises.

Much of the credit for that expansion goes to Louis Di Lallo, who took over from his father, Luigi Di Lallo, and built a convenience store that sold burgers into a greasy-spoon institution.

“They were the first ones to introduce peppers into their burgers,” said Ronald Anselmi, a longtime regular at the Ville-Emard location. He described Di Lallo as an affable person who supported the community.

He was one of the principal backers of the Ville-Emard Hurricanes, a youth hockey organization that started out helping disadvantaged kids. His funeral is set for 2 p.m. March 24 at Holy Cross Parish on Jolicoeur.