The restaurant was started by Hermas Gibeau in 1932 to serve his trademark orange drink, Gibeau Orange Julep, similar but not identical to that of Orange Julius. It is believed Gibeau intended to live in there with his wife and children. The restaurant and its orange sphere were rebuilt larger and further back from the roadway when it was widened as the Décarie Expressway in 1966. Its shell consis
ts of plastic segments that were ordered from a local pool manufacturer, and the whole building is illuminated from the outside in the evenings. For a time, the Julep was noted for rollerskating waitresses, but customers today order food in the more conventional fashion of a fast food restaurant. Food can then be taken away or eaten at one of a number of provided picnic tables. The restaurant operates 24 hours a day during summer and reduced hours in winter. Today, it also hosts classic car and motorbike enthusiasts on Wednesday nights from May–August.
