Arby’s devotees flock to new Winnipeg location By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 4:03 PM CDT Sunday, Mar. 30, 2025

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This article was published 30/03/2025 (540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They have the meats — until they didn’t, amid a rush of customers on opening day.

Manitobans flocked to Arby’s over the weekend. Saturday marked the fast-food chain’s return; it vacated Manitoba five years ago after its last Winnipeg location closed.

Ed Martens used to order a roast beef sandwich, a large fries and mozzarella sticks from Arby’s weekly.

He trekked from East Kildonan to the new Tuxedo Arby’s Saturday to reunite with his beloved meal. However, after waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours, he and fellow patrons were told the eatery ran out of roast beef.

So Martens returned Sunday. He lined up 50 minutes before the joint opened and was the sixth person served.

“I love the food so much,” Martens shared, a mozzarella stick in hand. “Just as good (now).”

Anticipation for the American chain has built over the past two years. The restaurant, near the southwest Winnipeg outlet mall, started to take shape last year. It shares a structure with Pet Valu. A Pet Valu employee said company staff would regularly field calls about Arby’s updates.

Darryl Allan has documented the progression of Arby’s from his home across the parking lot. He’s shared it all on Reddit — the ground breaking, the building’s assembly, the signage change.

Opening day traffic was “unbelievable,” he said. Still, he expected to see a crowd, based on engagement with his social media posts. (Appearances from his cat Mishka were also a hit.)

“People have memories from back when (Arby’s) used to be here,” Allan said, adding he’d read comments from former employees.

Arby’s once had several Winnipeg locations. The final one, in Kildonan Place, shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arby’s didn’t respond to questions by print deadline Sunday. Last year, a spokeswoman told the Free Press the chain would return to Manitoba because “fans have been requesting and eagerly awaiting the brand’s return.”

Allan — who doesn’t work for Arby’s or have any share in the company — figures he’ll order a classic sandwich with extra Horsey Sauce “every now and then.”

But he’s supporting the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement, he noted, alluding to the chain’s American roots. Arby’s is headquartered in Atlanta.

He’s hoping for relations between Canada and the United States to improve.

“(This) adds more jobs to Canada,” Ryan Schultz said outside Arby’s.

He and Hayley Schultz drove across the city, from Transcona, to grab sandwiches and “a little bit of everything.”

The “lunch-meat-style” menu hooked them; they would order Arby’s monthly during the chain’s original Manitoba tenure.

Martens, who also travelled half an hour for lunch, said he hopes the business will expand throughout Winnipeg. One customer Sunday said they waited 45 minutes for their meal.

Arby’s will likely open multiple locations in Winnipeg over the next five years, spokeswoman Larisa Zade told the Free Press in 2024.

The Tuxedo hub is 2,200 square feet with around 40 seats. It’s been more than three years in the making.

Construction and rent inflation delayed Arby’s entering Seasons Winnipeg, the land’s developer noted last year. Blair Forster, president of Forster Harvard Development Corp., estimated a 35 per cent increase in construction costs between 2019 and 2024 that affected several incoming tenants.

Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. rebranded as Inspire Brands in 2018 after acquiring Buffalo Wild Wings. The parent company also houses Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin, a popular doughnut and coffee line.

Arby’s re-entered Mexico in 2020 after leaving decades earlier. It now counts more than 3,500 restaurants in nine countries, including 57 Canadian hubs, per its website.

The operating hours at the Winnipeg store at 753 Sterling Lyon Pkwy. are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com