St. Boniface burger staple back after closing down last year
A beloved burger stand in St. Boniface is back in business.
Mrs. Mikes shut down last year after a half-century of serving the community. Now its doors have reopened and Winnipeggers were lined up to get their fill, even as snow fell on them.
"It's an institution. So glad to see it back," said patron Doug Little.
"They're just like part of the family," said Paulette Desrochers while waiting for her food.
The Mikos family has been running the restaurant since 1969, but last year after 54 years flipping burgers, then-owner Steve Mikos decided to hang up the apron and retire – much to the dismay of Mrs. Mikes regulars.
"(I would) come here with my mom. Even got an ice cream cone back in the 60s, late 60s," said Ken Burns. "Just those magic moments."
Brian Tascona said the burger joint has been a staple for him while living in the neighbourhood.
"Fact is that I've been coming here for over 50 years," said Tascona.
Despite closing the doors, the family was not done with the restaurant just yet.
"Cathy (Mikos) wasn't ready to go yet," said Christina Nakoulas, the niece of owner Cathy Mikos.
"She missed all her customers, we couldn't stay away. So we said, 'We need to come back and keep those burgers going for the community and for all of Winnipeg.'"
Even with Cathy Mikos taking over the restaurant, the time-tested menu is staying the same.
"Same formula. Same menu. Same tastes. Same everything," said Nakoulas.
With lineups of people braving the snow to get their hands on a king burger and chili fries, it's safe to say folks are happy to have them back.
"It's well worth the wait. It's well worth it," said Little.
"It's fantastic. Glad to have them back. They're part of the neighbourhood for decades," said Burns.
"It has a lot of history. And I think it's very, very important to have individual restaurants, apart from regular chains, making burgers. So it's wonderful that this is happening," said Tascona.
The feeling behind the grill is mutual.
"We're just happy to be back in the community and give (Winnipeggers) burgers that they've been eating for 50 years," said Nakoulas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Sick to my stomach': People grieve Jasper National Park by sharing favourite photos
As an out-of-control wildfire roared through Alberta’s famed Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday, many are fearing the worst as officials warned of 'significant loss' within the area.
LIVE UPDATES 'Hopefully it's better than what we're thinking': Jasper wildfire damage details anxiously awaited
Officials are waiting to learn Thursday morning the extent of wildfire damage in the Jasper townsite of Jasper National Park, which flames began to eat away at the night before.
Canadian women's soccer team staffer given suspended prison sentence over drone incident, prosecutor says
A Canada women's soccer team staffer has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence after flying a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand team on Monday, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Sale of envoy's NYC condo 'expected to exceed' $9M: government
The current official residence for Canada's representative in New York City is 'being readied for sale,' according to a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada.
Jasper wildfire burns buildings, while poor air quality forces some fire crews out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Loblaw to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500 million to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'