King's Food Host on Pembina Highway was the only location for a mid-western chain of restaurants in Winnipeg. It stood on east side pretty much where Shopper's Drug Mart stands south of Point Road. The restaurant stood from approximately 1970 to 1974 and was famous for Cheese Frenchee Sandwiches.
The chain was started in Lincoln Nebraska in 1951 by James King and Larry Price, it would later be Price to continue the King's name in 1970 when his partner left the business. A franchise would open a year later in 1961 and a franchise system would be in place by 1968. In two years the restaurant group grew to over 100 locations in 17 states and one province. That one province was Manitoba.
The red booths and larger curved ones for family groups were perfect family fare. And the food they served was priced in the same category.
The menu was decidedly burger joint and their Cheese Frenchee Sandwiches.
What appealed to kids was that you put your order in by table-side phone. You would call it in just as you might from a drive-inn. Parent's would often hand the phone to kids to call the order in.
Alas, by 1974 King's started to have financial problems in the States. McDonald's and others were increasingly expanding and winning the family market. In that year King's quietly closed and a number of other restaurants called the location home in years after before Shopper's arrived.
3 comments:
I distinctly remember going to King's for wonderful hamburgers, french fries and the sundaes in the tall glasses. The phone at the booth was very cool and before its time. Great memories.
We went to the main location in Lincoln, NE. In addition to the phone at each table, there was a jukebox selector. And the burgers with the grilled onions were absolutely delicious.
We loved going there as kids and the phones were a huge deal!!!
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