At one time A&W was headquartered in Winnipeg and its first location was at 3095 Portage Avenue built in 1956 as a drive-thru. For some time that location has been empty as A&W moved elsewhere. The old restaurant was dotted with photographs marking its history.
It appears the last vestiges of the old A&W will disappear as the city has approved demolition of the building and the land will be cleared and prepared for a new Wendy’s drive-thru.
Wendy’s, the third largest burger chain in Canada after McDonald’s and A&W, is no stranger to Portage Avenue. The Hakim Optical shop still bears the colours of the former Wendy’s on the south side of the street.
Wendy’s ended up closing several locations in Winnipeg but in recent years the company has committed itself to building their brand again as well as their branches. In the last few years they built a new Wendy’s opposite St. Vital Shopping Centre.
Few people will remember when burger joints were few and Winnipeg was the first to have this kind of new fangled drive thru. A little bit of history disappears. However, time marches on and it is good to see new use for a site that has been for sale for some time.
This has been a guest editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
