FINAL CLASSICS SHOWDOWN BEFORE STORAGE SEASON.
The Thanksgiving weekend traditionally marks the start of autumn — and that means another season of cars shows is coming to close.
Car buffs are preparing to put into storage their classic cars of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, just as other people are putting away water skis, golf clubs and motorcycles as another winter approaches.
One midsummer highlight on the car show calendar is the Collectors Car Club Cruise — billed as “Regina’s only annual Cruise ‘n’ Shine!” — held each July. This year, the event on was held on July 27. The Collectors Car Show welcomes 100 or so classic vehicles at the T.C. Douglas Building in Wascana Park, and then they cruise up Albert Street to the parking lot at the north Canadian Tire store — and Burger Baron, right next door.
“We get a really good boost to our business for that one night. I would say it’s two to three times busier than a typical Saturday night,” says Greg Hamblin, managing partner of Burger Baron.
People displaying their cars each get a goody bag, which includes coupons for food at Burger Baron. As well, some spectators who come to look at the cars may decide to stop for a snack or drink at Burger Baron.
Hamblin says there’s always extra work leading up the cruise night.
“Preparations include putting up signs, telling regular customers about the event, and making sure we have enough staff. We talk to our regulars, promote it and get the word out,” he says.
He says the annual cruise makes for a fun night for employees.
“The staff have uniforms to wear,” he says, “but that’s the one night of the year where they can wear what they want, as long as it’s a ’50s style. They also like the chance on their breaks to go out and look at all the cars.”
Burger Baron has been sponsoring classic car shows since the late 1970s.
“People were always looking for a place to park and show off their cars. They asked if they could use our lot, and it seemed like a really good fit,” Hamblin says.
To some people, a trip to Burger Baron is like a trip back in time. In the 1950s and ’60s it was popular to visit drive-in burger places, as popularized by Mel’s Drive-In in George Lucas’s 1973 movie American Graffiti. In Regina, some of the spots to cruise to were Dogs ‘n’ Suds, A & W, and Burger Baron.
The origins of Burger Baron can be traced back to 1956 in Calgary. That’s when Jack McDonnell opened a hamburger stand on McLeod Trail, and soon more opened. He sold most of them, but operated the Regina Burger Baron with his wife Rikie. After McDonnell died in 1983, his wife and her two sons continued to operate the business at 681 Albert St. at 2nd Avenue. In 1990, the drive-thru was replaced with a 100-seat restaurant. In 2005, a second Burger Baron location was opened on the east side of Regina.
Burger Baron gives money to the Collectors Car Club to help advertise the event.
“As a non-profit association, the Collectors Car Club values all of its sponsors, but especially Burger Baron as they have been supporting the Car Club for the majority of our existence,” says Robert Spinks, past president of the Collectors Car Club.
Hamblin says supporting the Collectors Car Club gets the word out about Burger Baron.
“We’re a local business and we don’t do a lot of advertising,” he says. “A lot of it is word of mouth — and this approach definitely helps. We do get a payback on our investment. I see some of the guys coming into the restaurants all the time. I see their cars out in the parking lot, so some of them come here for more than just the car show events.”
Hamblin says the restaurant intends to “continue sponsoring these cruise nights for many years to come.”