The Wagon Wheel Lunch first opened for business in 1951. After 61 years of operation, it closed its doors forever last week. The old building where the restaurant rents space has been sold and will shortly be torn down so a developer can build a $75 million hotel, office, residential and parkade complex. And so, just like that, another little piece of Winnipeg's soul is gone . . . .
The Wagon Wheel's unique charm really shines in this Winnipeg Free Press video report about the closure:
Despite the hopeful wishes expressed in the video, the Wagon Wheel cannot afford to relocate to a new spot. It will not reopen, its owner says.
Farewell, little hole-in-the-wall diner -- Winnipeg will miss you!
[Photo by Ruth Bonneville, Winnipeg Free Press]
24 comments:
so sad, this seems to happen too much.
Goodbye delicious looking club sandwiches....that is sad. They tore down one of my favorite places here around 15 years ago that made the best steak sandwiches in the world - The Sub Cabin. It was a tiny little shack in the woods. They built a massive African American church campus over it.....To this day, I crave those sandwiches.
Another piece of history chipped away. That was a very nice video.
This closing is such a shame. You can hear it in everyone's voices just how much they will miss it.
Yeah, I definitely would have loved that place. It's a shame it's had to close down.
A sad day! :0( What a loss for the community. Diners are now on the endangered list.
It's always sad to see a place like that go. We had this very special Polish restaurant that suffered the same fate. I loved that place...full of cops and characters that had been going there daily for 20+ years.
I hate it when my favorite places close down!
so sad! the place has such charm it is a shame they can't take it apart and relocate it. i should move up there and take it over! i've always wanted to have a little diner!
Sad when this sort of thing happens....all in the name of 'progress'?
another one bites the dust....that's progress!
Definitely my kind of place. Sorry it has to close.
Mary
What a shame. I hate it when regular favourite haunts are shut down. Those sandwiches look great, what a loss.
I'm sad to see it go (or is it a pang of nostalgia) even though I live so far away and hadn't been there in years. I also miss the bakery on Academy where you could get the BEST meat pies washed down by the BEST florentine bars! But for all you Winnipeggers go to Boon on Sherbrook - not down town but delicious!
So sad. A lossnjust not of a family diner but a loss of soul and character. A faceless, soulless complex cannot replace this part of a community.
When I read stories like this, it makes me sad and angry at the same time. Sad for the small business to have to shut its doors forever, unable to relocate because they can't afford to, and angry that someone with a lot of money will just tear it down and build something that people don't really need more of!
the problem is: corporate crap seems hell bent on replacing all the good shops - like wal*mart forced all mom-and-pop places out of business!
quality goes downhill, in favor of speedily getting folk in and out
so sad when that happens, but you have your memories - and ww owners have a bit to retire on - not a good solution, but the only one....
I love places like this. Too bad it closed!
A sad end.
Ah, that's a shame. I really wish I had known about it when I was visiting Winnipeg - for sure I would have partaken of its kwizine!!
It really is too bad, isn't it? I remember going into the diners in my city. It was in the time when service meant something and the owners knew you and cared. It was a time when they would slip you a piece of apple pie just because. The time that food was home cooked and prepared with love. I really hope that one day we can get back to that.
Oh, that's sad. These little retro diners can always be counted on for good grub...we have one here that sells my fave...a regular old bacon and egg sandwich on white bread! Never see one of those in Denny's!
I loved your comment about the "surly bonds of earth"...will work it into another post somewhere...:)
It's very sad to see all these places gone and us, the world becoming a huge, homogeneous version of Wall Mart.
I really want one of those booths. They just don't make things like that anymore.
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