George’s to swallow former burger competitor site on Corydon By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 12, 2023 Last Modified: 7:26 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 12, 2023 Updates

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By George, Tuxedo is getting a new burger joint.

The Original George’s Burgers & Subs restaurant chain has plastered its signs across the former Monstrosity Burger and Tuxedo Village Family Restaurant at 2090 Corydon Ave.

“I’m just super-excited,” said Dimitri Ifantis, whose family owns the George’s name (its seven current locations are individually owned and operated). “It’s a great spot.”

The company began sizing up the west Winnipeg neighbourhood location after being alerted of the vacant eatery by loyal George’s customers, Ifantis said.

Burgers haven’t been cooked at 2090 Corydon Ave. since last summer when Monstrosity Burger announced its permanent closure. The restaurant had grabbed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for flouting public health orders and facing hefty fines as a result.

George’s likely won’t open its Tuxedo location until the fall. It might take three or four months for a new grill to arrive and renovations are ongoing, Ifantis said.

“I can speak for the whole office here — we’re very excited,” said Mike Kost, who works next door at Premier Design Build.

There are few lunch options nearby, he noted. Stepping out for food might land Kost across the street at Safeway or Starbucks. A “mom-and-pop-type shop” in the neighbourhood is wanted, he added.

“As soon as we heard (George’s was) coming, we were very, very excited,” Kost said. “It’s kind of been something that we (at the office) have grown up with. It’s a Winnipeg staple.”

Original George’s Burgers & Subs first opened on Portage Avenue in 1975. George Ifantis, who immigrated from Greece, began the business with his wife Elena.

“As soon as we heard (George’s was) coming, we were very, very excited. It’s kind of been something that we (at the office) have grown up with. It’s a Winnipeg staple.”–Mike Kost

The children — Dimitri and sister Anastasia — became familiar with each restaurant their parents erected.

Dimitri Ifantis, 37, started by chopping potatoes and cleaning dishes. Now, he’s looking to expand the company.

The Tuxedo location will join five George’s in Winnipeg, one in Morris and one in Steinbach.

Ifantis and a partner will run the new shop, along with 10 to 15 staff members, in the eatery’s beginning stages.

The family often sells to franchisees once a location is off the ground.

“We have been very, very, very lucky,” Ifantis said. “You’re really trusting people with your name… that they’re going to keep doing a great job like my parents did.”

The Ifantises recently sold the George’s location at 1404 Regent Ave. West to a “great family,” he said.

Ifantis said he is in talks to open a site in Niverville next year, and hopes to open a George’s outside of Manitoba in the near future.

“I’ve watched it grow, obviously, since I was born. I’m going to try my best to expand,” he said.

The Tuxedo location will seat at least 40 customers and will carry the chain’s classic blue-and-white scheme.

Premier Design Build is leading the site’s reimagining.

“Their fat boy is a really good burger — it’s one of the best in the city,” Kost said. “(This) will bring people to the area, for sure.”

Exposure could be good for other local businesses, too, he said.

“I feel like (this is) going to bring in a lot of traffic, which is nice,” added Alyson Delisle, a worker at Character Co., a nearby cannabis shop.

Richard Caron plans to attend the restaurant’s grand opening, should there be one.

He reviews fat boy burgers — fully loaded two-handers with cheese and chili sauce — for an online following. Various George’s locations elicit different ratings.

Caron gave the chain’s Regent Avenue West site a 9.015. The fat boys at locations on St. Mary’s Road, Main Street and Ness Avenue received a nine, 8.85 and 8.675, respectively, from the For the Love of All Fat Boys Facebook page creator.

“I’ll definitely be doing a fat boy review (in Tuxedo),” Caron said, adding the new shop will likely do well since it’s a known name.

“It’s nice to see local businesses thriving after a definite period of lull and uncertainty in the restaurant (industry). It’s good to know that they’re doing good enough business that they can open a new one,” Caron said.

The restrictions enforced at the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic made for a hard time for many restaurants, Ifantis said.

Adapting and working hard helped his family persevere through the period, he said.

George’s will update its website and social media accounts once its Tuxedo location opens.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com