Reborn eatery overwhelmed
Diners line up for reopening of Burger Baron in Rutland
The newly reopened Burger Baron had to close for a couple of hours Wednesday afternoon to clean up and recalibrate after an unexpected onslaught of ravenous customers.
“We’re just a little place with a small kitchen,” said new owner Karrin Morris.
“We tried to open quietly (Tuesday afternoon), but we were slammed. People were lining up, and they didn’t mind waiting an hour because they were dying for their Baron burger, crispy, crinklecut fries and milkshake. We served 400 burgers from 2 p.m. on yesterday (Tuesday). That’s more served in one afternoon and one evening than has ever been served, even on a busy May Days long weekend.”
Burger Baron opened for its second day on Wednesday at 9 a.m. to another long lineup.
By early afternoon, Morris made the decision to close the diner for a little while so the grill could be cleaned and the fryers strained.
“We have to keep up with maintenance like that otherwise our Baron burger and fries won’t taste as great as everyone expects them to,” she said.
“We need and we want everyone to come eat at Burger Baron, but we can’t handle crowds. I’m telling people to pace themselves because we’re now going to be here forever.”
The original Burger Baron opened in 1971 on Harvey Avenue and then opened a Rutland location at 140 Rutland Rd. N., just off Highway 33, in 1986.
It was the Rutland location that carried on and became famous as the unassuming greasy spoon that served the city’s best burgers.
And then, abruptly in August last year, Burger Baron shut down.
It never became clear if the place had shuttered permanently because of a dispute with the landlord or if it was going to reopen in a new location.
What did happen is Morris, along with silent partner Mounsef Mounsef, bought the business late last year and have reopened in the same location.
“It’s iconic. It’s a landmark. There’s no place like it,” said Morris.
“When we started looking at opening a restaurant in Kelowna, we found we couldn’t beat picking up Burger Baron because it already had a great name and reputation and we liked the vibe.”
That vibe is old-fashioned diner with the same core menu it has had since the beginning in 1971.
“You can’t go wrong with our lineup of $4.25 Baron burger with (priced separately) crinkle-cut fries and one of our 43 flavours of milkshakes,” said Morris.
The current front-runner for most popular flavour is strawberry.
The new Burger Baron is also serving Halifax-style donairs, the Maritime adaptation of the Middle East kebab that sees spiced ground beef piled on a pita and topped with raw tomatoes and onions and a sweet sauce of evaporated milk, vinegar, garlic and sugar.
Burger Baron is also starting to open at 7 a.m. for breakfast, offering a $6.20 special of two eggs, any style, bacon or sausage, hash browns and toast.
Burger Baron has a 49-seat diner and busy drive-thu and takeout business.
Morris is new to Kelowna and the restaurant industry, having last worked as a real estate agent in Fort McMurray.
Her silent partner, Mounsef, years ago had a restaurant on South Pandosy called Delvecchio’s Pizza and Grill.
He most recently was in the restaurant industry in Edmonton.