What do Hollywood’s stumbling masses crave at 3 a.m.?

Alan Goldstein hopes the answer is a French Canadian delicacy called poutine: fries topped with cheese curds and gravy as well as other cholesterol-laden goodies.

Goldstein is the Southern California franchisee of Smoke’s Poutinerie, which focuses exclusively on the high-carb Canadian specialty. His first L.A. store, an 800-square-foot shop, is set to open in Hollywood this month.

Smoke’s, owned by Ryan Smolkin, has 100 franchises throughout Canada and opened its first U.S. location in Berkeley last year. Goldstein said he plans to open 20 restaurants from Santa Barbara to Mexico.

The Hollywood location will open at 11 a.m. and stay open until 4 a.m.

“We’re up against the big shots like In-N-Out Burger and McDonald’s, so we have to focus on what has always been our niche, which is the after-bar scene, for when you’ve got the munchies,” Smolkin said, adding that during the peak hours of midnight to 3 a.m. Smoke’s most popular Canadian outposts see 150 customers an hour. “We’re targeting the 18- to 25-year-old university crowd who will be leaving all of the nearby clubs and bars.”

This is the first restaurant project for Goldstein, a mortgage loan officer at Professional Lending Network in Redondo Beach. After seeing Smoke’s succeed in Canada, where his family is from, Goldstein reached out to Smoklin on a whim. He soon flew out to meet him and they struck a franchising deal. The franchise fee for the Hollywood location was $30,000, which will be reduced for later stores.

“(Smoke’s is) not looking to make tons of money on the franchise fees,” Goldstein said. “(Smoke’s) is looking to grow the business or, as Ryan would say, for ‘global poutine domination.’”

Goldstein, who has rented an apartment blocks from the restaurant, said the site, at 1552 N. Cahuenga Blvd., cost $400,000 to build out, financed through family and friends. Investors will fund the next several Southern California locations. After that, he will take on some debt.

There’s no seating at the Hollywood location, Goldstein said, figuring that if you’re alright with eating fries covered with thick gravy and cheese at 4 a.m., you’re probably alright eating them while hanging out with friends in the parking lot.

– Hannah Miet