From the North End with love Popular burger joint returns to its roots by planning south end location By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 5:25 PM CST Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 Last Modified: 11:24 AM CST Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 Updates

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A decades-old eatery plans to bring North End grub — fat boy burgers and fries — to south Winnipeg.

Owners of The White Top Drive-In plan to open a second location at 1200 Chevrier Blvd.

In a twist, the move is a homecoming for Peter Louizos, the former owner (and still active member) of White Top.

The restaurant’s sign now stands in front of the Fort Garry building, which has been decked out in white and red, the signature colours of the North End location. It’s roughly 11 km south of the first location that has made its mark serving patties and swirled ice cream.

“We’re not going anywhere — the North End has been good to us,” said owner Demos Louizos, son of Peter.

The south end has “always been a part of our family,” and the time to add a second location has arrived, Demos continued.

He and his father acquired the small south Winnipeg diner in September. It had been 50 years since the family owned that location. At that time, Peter and his brother Tony converted it into a drive-in from a house. It was called P and T Drive-In.

In 1985, Peter took over The White Top Drive-In at 409 Manitoba Ave. from a friend and has been working at the restaurant since then, including in his so-called retirement.

It’s the 81-year-old’s passion, his son said.

“Everything seems like it comes full circle,” Demos, 46, added. “It’s very humbling.”

Tony operated P and T until 2003.

Demos has eyed the south site for a while. Running a second White Top in his family’s former diner was something he’s always wanted to do, he said.

“Everything seems like it comes full circle … It’s very humbling.”–Demos Louizos

He’s marked 2024 — no specific month — as the new spot’s opening date.

There are designs to consider; the restaurant has been largely unchanged since Peter and his brother first transformed it decades ago, Demos said.

“We are not here to reinvent the wheel,” he noted, adding the menu won’t be different from the North End offerings.

After all, it got them through the COVID-19 pandemic. On Manitoba Avenue, they sold burgers and shakes through take-out windows.

The business model, which includes no indoor seating and a simple take-and-go, lent itself well to the restrictions of the pandemic years, Demos noted.

“I’m not surprised to see them grow,” said Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

“We’re really encouraged by the traffic … We’re planning on taking exactly what we do in the North End and doing that in the south end.”–Demos Louizos

In general, quick-service restaurants such as White Top Drive-In had more business than in pre-pandemic years, Jeffrey explained.

Quick service eateries continue to be popular amid the increased high cost of living, Jeffrey continued.

The White Top Drive-In isn’t currently open in the North End — it operates from February until Halloween. The new locale, however, should be open year-round, seven days a week, Demos said.

He expects to employ at least 10 people at the diner, which is double the number of North End employees. He’ll alternate between the two sites. His father Peter also plans to keep working, Demos said.

“Old school horsepower” — that’s how Peter operates, Demos said.

Veronica Ternopolski has been a fan of fat boy burgers at White Top for at least three decades.

“It’s just really nice to see a family have success,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “Especially in the food industry that has been hit so hard.”

The drive-in is something to rave about, she said.

“(It) has been a staple in the local North End business scene forever,” she wrote.

Glen Koblun has clocked the change from the south Winnipeg diner’s blue exterior (when it was A&V Drive-in) to red and white.

“Everyone’s… sad when a business leaves the area, and especially something that is used quite often by local people,” he said.

But a new establishment is welcome, he said.

He works nearby. He’d grab breakfast from the former A&V Drive-In, which relocated to Daly Street. There isn’t another restaurant within walking distance, despite the additions of a Southwest Transitway stop and the growing Refinery District nearby.

“It’s super convenient to have (White Top) in this area,” Koblun said.

Winnipeg’s south end has drawn a majority of the city’s new restaurants, Jeffrey noted.

“We’re really encouraged by the traffic,” Demos said. “We’re planning on taking exactly what we do in the North End and doing that in the south end.”

This time, though, there will be indoor seating.

Higher operating costs and industry-wide staff shortages are challenges the business will “work with,” Demos stated.

“We are very content with our location in the North End,” he said. “We will continue to be there for the next 50 years.”

The North End institution is nearing its 52nd anniversary.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com