Half Moon glow

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This article was published 14/07/2017 (3030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lockport’s Half Moon Drive In just finished a massive renovation in March, but the restaurant’s updates look like they were done in 1957, not 2017.

And that’s exactly what owner Wayne McIntosh wanted.

The building’s exterior now pays homage to the now-demolished original Half Moon, opened just down the road in 1938 by brothers Peter and Louie Kosowicz. With vintage signage, original neon lighting and shiny metallic finishes, the diner’s facade looks the part of a ’50s hot spot.

Inside, the retro style continues.

Checkered floors, a halved and wall-mounted 1957 Chevy and a refurbished 1938 Top-Flight jukebox from the first Half Moon fill the dining area with an air of nostalgia for a bygone era. When the door to the men’s washroom swings open, John Wayne’s visage stares out menacingly, and above the urinal, a leather-jacketed James Dean watches invasively.

“As you get older,” says McIntosh, born in 1963, “you want to turn back the clock.”

This week, McIntosh is a little busier than usual as he prepares for the fifth annual Rockin on the Red, an extravagant event in the drive-in’s backyard along the Red River today and Saturday, replete with concerts, inflatable rides and, of course, hotdogs and fries.

He’s expecting thousands of guests for the event, which also serves as a fundraiser for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (on Saturday night, the restaurant will give away a mobility bicycle to a child in need) and hopes the new exterior updates will be a big hit with the attendees.

McIntosh started out as an employee at Half Moon’s short-lived Transcona operation in the late ’70s, took over as co-manager of the Lockport restaurant in 1987 and has served as its owner since 1992, gaining sole proprietorship in 2001.

Since then, he’s been making an active effort to maintain the establishment while also advancing the business.

After the restaurant’s 75th anniversary, McIntosh started Rockin on the Red. Shortly after, he started a food truck and, in 2016, Half Moon was featured in the Lasse Hallstrom-directed, Dennis Quaid-starring film A Dog’s Purpose.

It was a natural fit for a restaurant boasting what they call the best dogs in Canada.

The movie was shot over the course of two days. Local set designers transformed the building’s look to fit the film’s motif. McIntosh loved the temporary changes so much he hired the same crew to spearhead the renovations. About a year later, the updates were complete.

McIntosh says the changes and his dedication to the restaurant are driven by his passion to maintain a connection to the past, and to keep the Kosowicz brothers’ restaurant sizzling nearly 80 years after the grills first lit up.

“The brothers deserve credit for what’s here now,” McIntosh says.

A lot has changed since McIntosh landed on the Half Moon, but its all been built on a foundation of music, cars and classic food.

“You get rid of burgers, you might as well get rid of beer, you might as well get rid of french fries,” he laughs.

McIntosh is certain that’s not going to happen any time soon.

“People love what we do,” he says. “It feels good to know I’ve had a part in keeping that going.”

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca