OT: Restaurant thread

[Zippity]

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Don't worry --some Greek guy will buy the location and turn it into a Gold Mine -- a lot of times it's all management.

Maybe Dionysis

 

[jokesondee]

Yup, but waaaaay before that (1970ish?) my old failing memory recalls it was...
Kavanaugh's (see pic below) which became...
Kamp's which was McD's biggest competition, then was replaced by...
Champ's which became what's now known as KFC...

... and many many more between those and Kenny Rogers Roasters, which I did try once when it was there and it was some of the best roast chicken I've had to this day!

I'm pretty sure there was once a Grubee's in that spot too...

View attachment 324319

My dad still calls KFC Champs lol.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Maybe Dionysis

A Transcona favorite. My family used to go there a few times a year when I was a kid.

 

[buyinnow]

Maybe Dionysis

Loved the photos on the wall of Jet players partying there.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

When the Canadian KFC franchisee's started appearing in the mid 50s, they called their own restaurants by distinct names, or they adapted their existing restaurants to sell it...the KFC's in Winnipeg were Champ's Kentucky Fried Chicken. The KFCs in Dauphin and Swan River (owned by same family) were called "El Rancho Kentucky Fried Chicken". I dunno about other towns, I'm sure they had their own names in front of the KFC

 

[LucianoBorsato]

My dad still calls KFC Champs lol.

My mom worked at a Champ's KFC in the 60s and she still says Champ's sometimes lol

 

[Gotaf7]

My dad still calls it Champs also, we have to eat that shit every time he comes to town. This past January he was in town and had to have “Champs” we got it from the store on Fermor, it was inedible basically raw I took it back and they offered to replace it... I got his money back and finally convinced him never again.

 

[White Out 902]

So that's why my parents called it Champs.

 

[jokesondee]

Just googled them and apparently there are still tons of Champs Chicken in the U.S. Looks like theyre kinda like Chester Fried's in gas stations and what not. Who knew.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

Some pretty interesting history about the man who owned Champ's KFC, Oscar Grubert. I guess the Champ's group also owned Grubee's, Mother Tucker's and many other Winnipeg classics:

Memorable Manitobans: Oscar Bert Grubert (1929-2014)

I'm not sure if the USA Champ's that you mentioned @jokesondee has any connection to the Grubert family? Could be

Edit: looks like they did have a chicken empire spanning into N. Dak and Minnesota:

West End Dumplings: Brandon's retro "Kentucky Fried Chicken" demolished

 

[jefferoni]

Some pretty interesting history about the man who owned Champ's KFC, Oscar Grubert. I guess the Champ's group also owned Grubee's, Mother Tucker's and many other Winnipeg classics:

Memorable Manitobans: Oscar Bert Grubert (1929-2014)

I'm not sure if the USA Champ's that you mentioned @jokesondee has any connection to the Grubert family? Could be

Sure sounds like it according to the article you linked...

At its height, his Champs Food Systems employed over 3,000 people in more than 50 restaurants around Canada and the USA. In 1970, he served as President of the Canadian Restaurant Association.

 

[Gm0ney]

Some pretty interesting history about the man who owned Champ's KFC, Oscar Grubert. I guess the Champ's group also owned Grubee's, Mother Tucker's and many other Winnipeg classics:

Memorable Manitobans: Oscar Bert Grubert (1929-2014)

I'm not sure if the USA Champ's that you mentioned @jokesondee has any connection to the Grubert family? Could be

Edit: looks like they did have a chicken empire spanning into N. Dak and Minnesota:

West End Dumplings: Brandon's retro "Kentucky Fried Chicken" demolished

When KFC expanded into Winnipeg, they bought out the Champs chain here, but kept the name to capitalize on the local reputation. It was Champs-Kentucky Fried Chicken until sometime in the mid/late-80s I think.

Anyone remember the corn fritters there? With honey to dip? They were great.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

When KFC expanded into Winnipeg, they bought out the Champs chain here, but kept the name to capitalize on the local reputation. It was Champs-Kentucky Fried Chicken until sometime in the mid/late-80s I think.

Anyone remember the corn fritters there? With honey to dip? They were great.

It was almost all franchisee's back in the 50s and 60s. Sanders was literally driving around in his car with a pressure cooker and a bag of 11 herbs and spices flour, he would make chicken for a restaurant and they would pay him a franchise fee to sell it in their restaurants. They became mostly corporate owned restaurants in the 80s and 90s. The Champ's ones were owned by the local group.

 

[FFHockey]

How about Greenjeans? Was located where BP is at CityPlace, used to enjoy their food and drinks too.

Clancy’s is another one that used to be a popular haunt...I think there were 2-3 of them in the city. I think they were one of the first places to serve chicken fingers with Honey Dill sauce.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Does anyone remember a circus themed burger drive-in way out on west Portage Ave? Can't for the life of me remember the name of it or where exactly it was. This would have been late 60's or early 70's.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

When KFC expanded into Winnipeg, they bought out the Champs chain here, but kept the name to capitalize on the local reputation. It was Champs-Kentucky Fried Chicken until sometime in the mid/late-80s I think.

Anyone remember the corn fritters there? With honey to dip? They were great.

I do. I loved those. Then they stopped selling them and it was like, KFC you are dead to me. I was similarly devastated when McDonald's dropped its cinnamon danish. My go-to breakfast for years was an egg McMuffin, cin-dan (as we called it) and a hot chocolate.

 

[sipowicz]

Sadly KFC is nothing like it used to be even 20 years ago, now the pieces are tiny, overly salty, greasy and lack flavour. Came close to having something that tasted like it used to at a KFC in Florida a few years back, pieces were huge, not overly greasy and flavour was what KFC should taste like!

 

[LucianoBorsato]

Sadly KFC is nothing like it used to be even 20 years ago, now the pieces are tiny, overly salty, greasy and lack flavour. Came close to having something that tasted like it used to at a KFC in Florida a few years back, pieces were huge, not overly greasy and flavour was what KFC should taste like!

And don't get me started on how shitty KFC gravy is now. That used to be the best gravy around, now it's as bland as the Jets defence corps

 

[Gm0ney]

How about Greenjeans? Was located where BP is at CityPlace, used to enjoy their food and drinks too.

Clancy’s is another one that used to be a popular haunt...I think there were 2-3 of them in the city. I think they were one of the first places to serve chicken fingers with Honey Dill sauce.

There was a Mr. Greenjeans at Eaton Centre in Toronto that just closed down in 2014. I ate there in 2010. Don't remember anything about the meal, really. I don't think they had those buffalo chips anymore...which is the only thing I remember about the Winnipeg one (those and the free matches).

Greenjeans buffalo chips remind me of of Main Spot Spuds at the Bluenote Cafe on main. They had good coffee too. Spent many late nights there after seeing a band at the Spectrum...

 

[jefferoni]

Does anyone remember a circus themed burger drive-in way out on west Portage Ave? Can't for the life of me remember the name of it or where exactly it was. This would have been late 60's or early 70's.

I remember the A&W drive-in across from Polo Park used to resemble a circus on some late Saturday nights...

 

[jefferoni]

Sadly KFC is nothing like it used to be even 20 years ago, now the pieces are tiny, overly salty, greasy and lack flavour. Came close to having something that tasted like it used to at a KFC in Florida a few years back, pieces were huge, not overly greasy and flavour was what KFC should taste like!

A perfect opportunity for me to get back up on my soapbox...

If this doesn't warrant a boycott I don't know what does... Different Pieces Same Fried Chicken | KFC® Canada

 

[cbcwpg]

This was a sad day

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/wagon-wheel-sandwich-shop-closing-in-winnipeg-1.1185713

Best clubhouse ever.

 

[jefferoni]

This was a sad day

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/wagon-wheel-sandwich-shop-closing-in-winnipeg-1.1185713

Best clubhouse ever.

Forgot about that little gem...
Had to get there before 11:30 to get a seat...
Always ordered clubhouse, fries & gravy, vanilla shake and if I had room (hardly ever) banana cream pie...
Go back to work and try to stay awake...
No need to eat for the next 24 hours!

 

[LucianoBorsato]

This was a sad day

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/wagon-wheel-sandwich-shop-closing-in-winnipeg-1.1185713

Best clubhouse ever.

I never ate there, wish I had.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

A perfect opportunity for me to get back up on my soapbox...

If this doesn't warrant a boycott I don't know what does... Different Pieces Same Fried Chicken | KFC® Canada

I will join you on this anti-KFC crusade, although the cause I am more passionate about is the gravy quality.

Splitting the keel in half, blasphemy. Also splitting the thigh into 2 pieces? There is barely any meat on a thigh as it is!

Sucks because when I worked there, it was still good fast food. I feel betrayed. The Colonel would be furious.