OT: Restaurant thread
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jokesondee
I’m not fat. I’m cultivating mass.
My dad still calls KFC Champs lol.
DannyGallivan
Your world frightens and confuses me
A Transcona favorite. My family used to go there a few times a year when I was a kid.
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
My mom worked at a Champ's KFC in the 60s and she still says Champ's sometimes lol
Gotaf7
Registered User
- Nov 6, 2011
- 2,605
- 2,602
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
Tier 2 Fan
jokesondee
I’m not fat. I’m cultivating mass.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Registered pessimist
- May 23, 2018
- 11,008
- 18,430
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
Registered pessimist
- May 23, 2018
- 11,008
- 18,430
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
The thrill is gone
- Mar 16, 2011
- 33,051
- 45,955
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
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...
I remember the A&W drive-in across from Polo Park used to resemble a circus on some late Saturday nights...
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
Registered User
This was a sad day
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/wagon-wheel-sandwich-shop-closing-in-winnipeg-1.1185713
Best clubhouse ever.
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!
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.
