1 Why this works right now
New Canadian rules force every restaurant to back up any green claim with evidence. Most owners don't have time to read the rules. You do the reading, hand them a 1-page proof, and they pay you $1,500.
Three rules that just landed
| Rule | What it means for a restaurant |
|---|---|
| Federal greenwashing rules (Jun 2025) | Every "carbon neutral," "eco-friendly," "compostable" claim needs evidence. |
| Federal plastic ban (Dec 2025) | No more bags, cutlery, stir sticks, Styrofoam containers. |
| Quebec packaging fee (RRVPE 2023) | They pay extra fees on packaging — and need someone to track it. |
Why nobody's doing this yet
Big consulting firms won't take a 30-seat restaurant — min tab is $20k. Quebec specialty firms focus on factories. The door is wide open. Only 17% of Quebec SMEs are doing any of this work right now (QNP 2024 barometer). That's 83% of the market sitting still.
2 Who's buying
Your beachhead: owners of 1–3 location restaurants in Montreal who already post a green story anywhere — Instagram, menu, Uber Eats, website. They're scared of the fine, they don't have a sustainability person, and they'd pay $1,500 to know they're safe.
Mile End / Plateau / Verdun indie restaurants
Owner-operator, 20–80 seats, already brag about local sourcing on Instagram. They care but never wrote the policy down.
Food co-ops & collectives
Member-owned, board structure, get grants for sustainability audits. Slow to say yes, but big checks once they do.
Local cafés & bakeries
Smaller checks ($500–$1k scope), but easier to close in volume. Good for filling the calendar.
Microbreweries & butcher shops
Same regulatory exposure, slightly higher revenue per ticket. Niche but easier to differentiate.
3 What you sell
Three packages. Pick one when a client asks, "so what do you actually do?"
Compliance Sweep
You show up, check their website + menu + packaging, give them a 5-page "you're safe / fix this" memo.
Best for: owners who need peace of mind before the regulator shows up.
Decarbonization Roadmap
The full Sweep + a carbon footprint + a 3-year plan to cut it + you fill out the Quebec subsidy form (up to 75% paid by the gov).
Best for: owners who want to brag about sustainability on a billboard.
Sustainability Lead
You become their sustainability person. Annual report, regulatory updates, on-call for greenwashing questions.
Best for: restaurants applying for green loans or B-Corp cert.
4 How you price
Don't sell hourly. Restaurants don't want a meter running. Sell the deliverable.
| What you do | You'll charge | Quebec market rate | You're at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-pager claim audit | $1,500 | $2,000–3,000 | Cheap + loadable |
| Full carbon inventory + roadmap | $5,000–9,000 | $8,000–15,000 | Boutique pricing |
| Monthly retainer | $1,500/mo | $2,500–5,000/mo | Student-discount; raise after 3 clients |
| Subsidy application (only) | $1,500 | $2,500 | Easy upsell |
| Hourly (avoid) | — | $39–43/hr median, $28–$69 range | Don't do it |
Raise prices every 5 clients. First 3 are at $1,500 to get case studies. Client 4–10 go to $2,500. After 10, $3,500+. This is a market-notebook, not a friend discount.
5 First 5 clients in 90 days
Skip the cold email. Walk in. Restaurants see sales reps all day — one walking in with a 1-page "you're 2026-ready?" scorecard is memorable.
6 Year-1 money math
Here's the realistic take. Not VC fantasy — student-with-30-hrs-a-week-in-summer math.
Year 1 — solo, school-year cadence
20 clients @ $2.5k avg. 8 hrs/wk semester, 30 hrs/wk summer.
Year 2 — graduate + hire 1 junior
Same density, doubled if you hire a Macdonald RRM junior at $25/hr to do data entry.
The boring math that makes it work
| Number | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Avg revenue per client | $2,500 | Mix of Starter ($1.5k) and Pro ($7k) bundles |
| Hours per client | ~20 hrs avg | 15 for Sweep, 50 for Pro |
| Effective rate | $125/hr | Way above Quebec median ($39–$43/hr) |
| Time to first dollar | 2–4 weeks | From cold walk to invoice |
| Startup $$ needed | ~$1,500 | Insurance, legal, basic tools (see §7) |
| Customer churn | ~30%/yr | Industry turnover, not you. Mitigate with retainers. |
7 Setup & tools (the boring list that makes it real)
One weekend. Most of this is free.
Legal (Saturday morning)
- Under $30k revenue: register as a travailleur autonome on Revenu Québec. Free, 20 min.
- Above $30k or hiring: incorporate via the Registraire des entreprises du Québec (REQ).
- Get a 1-page service agreement template. McGill Dobson Legal Clinic = free.
Insurance (Saturday afternoon)
- Professional liability (errors & omissions): ~$500/year. Get a quote from Intact or Lussier.
Free tools you'll actually use
| Tool | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| GHG Protocol calculators | Carbon footprint math | Free |
| CCalc (French) | Quebec-credible carbon calculator | Free |
| Snappy 2026 policy tracker | Live updates on rules | Free |
| Wave or QBO Solo | Invoicing | Free |
| Notion + Carrd | Proposals + simple website | Carrd $19/yr |
| Leanpath waste template | Food waste quantification | Free |
8 Things that can bite
Be honest about what kills this. Pick mitigations before they happen.
| Risk | What goes wrong | How you handle it |
|---|---|---|
| You sign off on a bad number | Restaurant gets fined. You get blamed. | Always use GHG Protocol methodology. Disclaimer on every page. Co-sign with a licensed pro for Scope-1. |
| Restaurant closes | 30% annual turnover. You lose a retainer. | Always sell 6-month minimums. Don't bet on one client. |
| Quebec subsidy takes 6 mo to pay | Client blames you. | Pre-finance via your own cash flow OR partner with a subsidy-broker firm (e.g. DxE Conseil). |
| You graduate and leave Montreal | Pipeline dies. | Hire a junior from the Macdonald RRM cohort — they're instantly qualified. Train them on your templates. |
| Competitor copies you | Another student does the same thing. | Move first. Publish case studies. Get the Dobson alumni badge. |
| You oversell your expertise | Owner asks something you don't know. | Say "I'll pull the regulation and get back to you tomorrow." Never fake it. |
9 The 30-day launch checklist
Print this. Tick the boxes. Don't move on until each one is done.