The Montreal Restaurant André The Giant Once Co-Owned
Once upon a time, there was a big, friendly giant ... Well, not so friendly once he stepped between the ropes and into the squared circle, as André the Giant was one of the more fearsome competitors of WWF's Golden Era. Outside of the ring, André Roussimoff (for this was his real name) was known for his outsized appetite, including the ability to down a shocking amount of beer (as well as wine, vodka, and any other kind of booze he could find). What is less well known is that he was a bit of a foodie and even co-owned a restaurant.
In the late 1970s, Roussimoff was already a megastar in the wrestling world, making bank off of his talent and larger-than-life personality. Wisely, he decided to invest some of his cash, so he used it to buy into a French restaurant called Le Pichet, which had opened up in 1974. Even though the Giant's burgeoning career kept him on the road for long stretches of time, he wasn't just an investor — a 1981 photo that was originally published in Sports Illustrated shows him engaged in a tête-à-tête with the restaurant's maître d' (even if it was more of a tête-à-poitrine, or head-to-chest, due to the height difference).
His retirement plans involved spending more time there
Unlike the imaginary Montreal restaurant Le Nouveau Duluth (which once held Trip Advisor's top spot), Le Pichet is still flourishing after half of a century in business. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for André Roussimoff, as he died at the age of 46 due to complications from the acromegaly that caused him to be a literal giant among men. Sadly, it seems he never had the time to explore a second career as a restaurateur like some big celebrities who have owned an eatery or restaurant chain. As he told David Letterman in a 1984 interview, he envisioned working at the restaurant after he retired from wrestling.
Even though the Giant might not have spent as much time at Le Pichet as he'd have liked, one of his visits had lasting repercussions (of the good kind). He was there once with fellow wrestler and Montreal native John Studd and introduced him to a woman of his acquaintance. Studd later married this woman, a nationally-ranked swimmer named Donna Conklin. The two had three children and remained together until Studd's death did them part in 1995.