Winnipeg Restaurants

[Boreal]

I'll never understand the fascination with Boston Pizza.

I get the fascination with Tim Hortons. I love Tim Hortons. It's cheap and does the trick, and they have unimaginably made themselves synonymous with being Canadian. But Boston Pizza - their pasta is by any fair measure, a glorified TV dinner. Their pizzas, while ok, are just alright as far as pizza goes in this town (there are so many choices). Almost everything else on the menu is very ordinary, and for the privilege of eating it, you are stuck with a ~$60 bill for two people.

Their potato skins or stuffed mushroom caps and chocolate explosion cake are just not that good for me to justify $60. Their sports lounge is below average at best, and the atmosphere is rarely any better. The dining area offers no special ambiance. You can eat in front of the TV at home. I just do not get the appeal.

It's biggest redeeming quality is that it doesn't trot women out like sacks of meat, ornamental to the dining experience, draped in minimal amounts of fabric a la Earl's or Moxies. Not to understate what a wonderful quality that is, but there are plenty of places in town that have a healthy respect for women, and do not require lots of skin and pseudo-sultry linguistic skills to accompany their guests.

[lilwayne]

Originally Posted by Boreal

I'll never understand the fascination with Boston Pizza.

I get the fascination with Tim Hortons. I love Tim Hortons. It's cheap and does the trick, and they have unimaginably made themselves synonymous with being Canadian. But Boston Pizza - their pasta is by any fair measure, a glorified TV dinner. Their pizzas, while ok, are just alright as far as pizza goes in this town (there are so many choices). Almost everything else on the menu is very ordinary, and for the privilege of eating it, you are stuck with a ~$60 bill for two people.

Their potato skins or stuffed mushroom caps and chocolate explosion cake are just not that good for me to justify $60. Their sports lounge is below average at best, and the atmosphere is rarely any better. The dining area offers no special ambiance. You can eat in front of the TV at home. I just do not get the appeal.

It's biggest redeeming quality is that it doesn't trot women out like sacks of meat, ornamental to the dining experience, draped in minimal amounts of fabric a la Earl's or Moxies. Not to understate what a wonderful quality that is, but there are plenty of places in town that have a healthy respect for women, and do not require lots of skin and pseudo-sultry linguistic skills to accompany their guests.

i could not disagreee more with everything you just said

boston pizza equals quality food at a decent price

go to earls or moxies or anywhere else and their prices are a lot higher than bps. And personally i like almost everything boston pizza offers on their menu. Its not tony romas or the keg.. but for what it is its a cheaper and better alternative to moxies, joeys, earls of the world.

[drew]

I think Boreal was pretty spot on.

Except for that part about the Earl's girls. That was blasphemous.

I used to work at BP way back in the day. Just about everything on the menu is pre-packaged crap. One of the only things they make in-house is the pizza dough.

Earls may be a bit more expensive (not much really) but at least they make 95% of the menu from scratch, in-house (used to work there too.)

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by drew

I think Boreal was pretty spot on.

Except for that part about the Earl's girls. That was blasphemous.

I used to work at BP way back in the day. Just about everything on the menu is pre-packaged crap. One of the only things they make in-house is the pizza dough.

Earls may be a bit more expensive (not much really) but at least they make 95% of the menu from scratch, in-house (used to work there too.)

I can't figure out the hard on for BP. Five years ago it was on life support. And I certainly wouldn't call it cheap. Lots of tasty local places with better food/value.

I'll take Moxies over Earl's. Guess I've always been a brunette guy.

[Boreal]

I don't mind Moxies, Earl's and Joey's as restaurants, I just have issues with the ~18-year-old females being used as props of desire, often in the face of patrons multiples of their age. I honestly did used to enjoy the penne alfredo that Earl's served up (off the menu now, is it not?), but it became strange when I would be queried prior to ordering if I would like, "a little something, something?". It's just not my style. I certainly understand the appeal and why they are often packed full. I just have my misgivings about it.

[original]

Originally Posted by flatlander

I can't figure out the hard on for BP. Five years ago it was on life support. And I certainly wouldn't call it cheap. Lots of tasty local places with better food/value.

I'll take Moxies over Earl's. Guess I've always been a brunette guy.

When was BP on life support? I've been going their for 7 or 8 years now, and it's always been super packed around dinner time. The prices are average for a Canadian food restaurant. Although, the Pizza's have gone up like crazy in price over the last few years.

I do miss some of the old menu items, such as the Cactus Cut Nachos. I wish they would come back...

[Riverman]

I don't know how anyone can compare Moxie's with Earl's. Earl's food is made from scratch while Moxie's is frozen crap off the back of a Cisco truck.

I've been to Earl's 75-100 times, all over. The food has always been good and satisfying. I've been to Moxie's about 10 times and half the time I've sent the food back - one time twice! I didn't get to eat lunch that day.

[dpenner]

BP lounge is open until 2am 7 days a week, it offers my generation a place to drink until the late hours of the night on a tuesday.....thats why we go there...

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Boreal

I'll never understand the fascination with Boston Pizza.

I recall havnig a converstation about how the food at chains like Boston Pizza tends to be pretty uniform in that you can walk into any location on any day order the same item off the menu and get served pretty much the same meal. It is very similar to how McDonalds or Tim Horton's operates. Further, I recall on birthday my young nieces wanting to have dinner at some place like Boston Pizza as it was a fancy grown-up place. It struck me then that Boston Pizza and most of the other table-service chain resturants are essentially slightly more "adult" version of McDonalds.

As to why they tend to be so popular, if you get a group of people going out for something to eat/drink you often end up with people having a strong objection to different places (ie not there as I don't eat Indian food). After eliminating those places all too often it comes down to Boston Pizza and the generally consensus is that while personally I would prefer to go someplace else I could live with going to BP.

Thankfully, it has been some time since I have been to a BP and hope it says that way.

[cllew]

And before Boston Pizza it use to be Garbonzo's as being almost everywhere in Winnipeg before they went broke in the "pizza war" in the late 80's.

The 2 current Garbonzos in Winnipeg are just the name that was bought by the Canad Inns from the former owner shortley before he died.

[ctochico]

Originally Posted by Boreal

I don't mind Moxies, Earl's and Joey's as restaurants, I just have issues with the ~18-year-old females being used as props of desire, often in the face of patrons multiples of their age. I honestly did used to enjoy the penne alfredo that Earl's served up (off the menu now, is it not?), but it became strange when I would be queried prior to ordering if I would like, "a little something, something?". It's just not my style. I certainly understand the appeal and why they are often packed full. I just have my misgivings about it.

agreed...penne alfredo was all i got..that was the only thing that made me full...i miss it.

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by original

When was BP on life support? I've been going their for 7 or 8 years now, and it's always been super packed around dinner time. The prices are average for a Canadian food restaurant. Although, the Pizza's have gone up like crazy in price over the last few years.

I do miss some of the old menu items, such as the Cactus Cut Nachos. I wish they would come back...

The chain's been around for over 40 years and I think they've been in Winnipeg for about 25? Not sure exactly, but I do remember a number of restaurants closing and there was one lonely restaurant on Portage in the Silver Heights neighbourhood. Then they exploded again. But I think the chain's gone through ups and downs in Winnipeg (unless I'm thinking of something else which is completely possible).

[cllew]

Originally Posted by flatlander

The chain's been around for over 40 years and I think they've been in Winnipeg for about 25? Not sure exactly, but I do remember a number of restaurants closing and there was one lonely restaurant on Portage in the Silver Heights neighbourhood. Then they exploded again. But I think the chain's gone through ups and downs in Winnipeg (unless I'm thinking of something else which is completely possible).

There were two in Winnipeg (Silver Heights and on Main St by the bus garage if I recall properly) which closed up when the original franchise owner had money problems.

Eventually Richard Enright got a store in West Winnipeg and another person one by the UofM. Enright eventually expanded and added more stores in and around Winnipeg (Selkirk, Portage la Prairie and coming soon Steinbach) and bought out the owner of the South Winnipeg location. He also has some locations in Ontario.

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by CoryB

The Kildare Safeway is the exact location I had in mind when making that comment but I know there is a serve lack of retail space in that part of town. Again it is a under serviced established residential neighborhood.

Won't happen. Local residents and politicians have fought tooth and nail to keep high volume restaurants out of that plaza at Kildare and Wayoata. In the mid-90s, a McDonald's franchise was blocked from building and opening on the large plot of land south of the Shell station and west of the Safeway. Tim Hortons was blocked in the early 2000s too. There are now condos on that piece of land. There really is not a good location for a BP type restaurant in Transcona (Plessis and east).

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by Boreal

I'll never understand the fascination with Boston Pizza.

I get the fascination with Tim Hortons. I love Tim Hortons. It's cheap and does the trick, and they have unimaginably made themselves synonymous with being Canadian. But Boston Pizza - their pasta is by any fair measure, a glorified TV dinner. Their pizzas, while ok, are just alright as far as pizza goes in this town (there are so many choices). Almost everything else on the menu is very ordinary, and for the privilege of eating it, you are stuck with a ~$60 bill for two people.

Their potato skins or stuffed mushroom caps and chocolate explosion cake are just not that good for me to justify $60. Their sports lounge is below average at best, and the atmosphere is rarely any better. The dining area offers no special ambiance. You can eat in front of the TV at home. I just do not get the appeal.

It's biggest redeeming quality is that it doesn't trot women out like sacks of meat, ornamental to the dining experience, draped in minimal amounts of fabric a la Earl's or Moxies. Not to understate what a wonderful quality that is, but there are plenty of places in town that have a healthy respect for women, and do not require lots of skin and pseudo-sultry linguistic skills to accompany their guests.

Relatively cheap, consistent, good atmosphere. Solid brand management. Beats Kelsey's and Montana's for me just because those places are so loud you cannot have a conversation without screaming over the din of music and other tables. Moxie's is expensive and very inconsistent.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

Won't happen. Local residents and politicians have fought tooth and nail to keep high volume restaurants out of that plaza at Kildare and Wayoata. In the mid-90s, a McDonald's franchise was blocked from building and opening on the large plot of land south of the Shell station and west of the Safeway. Tim Hortons was blocked in the early 2000s too. There are now condos on that piece of land. There really is not a good location for a BP type restaurant in Transcona (Plessis and east).

Problem with those two proposals were they wanted to put drive thru's in and that is a tough sell now in any area of the city that is existing residential unless the restaurant is on the outer edge of a mall development.

The new Tim's on 59 at Headmaster was approved because the strip mall blocks the drive through noise and lights at night from the houses.

One in the 600 block of St. Anne's Road was denied a zoning change because Tim's did not want to do a unit with no drive through.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

Relatively cheap, consistent, good atmosphere. Solid brand management. Beats Kelsey's and Montana's for me just because those places are so loud you cannot have a conversation without screaming over the din of music and other tables. Moxie's is expensive and very inconsistent.

Fair enough. I certainly get that. I still do not believe it to be relatively cheap, but I hear what you're saying.

[Mininari]

Harvey's will be able to open drive-through window at Corydon location

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 10:34 PM | Comments: 13 | Last Modified: 10:45 PM | Updates

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...182121971.html

...
A Harvey's fast-food restaurant planned for Corydon Avenue will be able to open a drive-through window.

City council's City Centre community committee voted 2-1 Tuesday night to allow a commercial building at the southeast corner of Corydon Avenue and Stafford Street to be pulled out of a special planning district where drive-through windows are not allowed.
...

[Biff]

YAY!!!!!!!


Brandon lands first Qdoba - Timing crucial to inking deal with U.S. chain

By: Murray McNeill

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Laird Lidster has opened a Qdoba Mexican Grill outlet in Brandon. He snagged the deal because he had a location picked.

Winnipeg isn't always the first place U.S. retail chains land when they jump into Manitoba.

Qdoba Mexican Grill, a chain with 630 outlets in the U.S., opened its first Manitoba outlet on Monday -- in Brandon. In fact, it's the first franchise in Canada.

The same thing happened in 2010 when the Five Guys Burgers and Fries chain made its Manitoba debut with a franchise outlet in Brandon. It was more than 18 months later before the first Five Guys eatery opened in Winnipeg.

The owners of the Qdoba franchise -- Brandon's Laird Lidster and his wife, Tracy -- and Qdoba spokesman Bill Nelsen said timing is the reason Brandon landed the first outlet in Canada.

READ MORE.......
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...182139441.html


Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 5, 2012 B3

[CoryB]

This little gem is burried in the Free Press Article on the Qboda in Brandon:

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Free Press -Dec 5, 2012

Hernandez and the other members of the group later sold the Manitoba and Saskatchewan franchise rights to another group of investors, who have since opened two Five Guys outlets in Winnipeg.

Franchisee Brett Hansen said a third outlet is slated to open in February with three or four more to follow over the next three or four years.

The third location in the Portage and Rouge one that is known to be under construction.