For a meal that reminds you of the good ol’ days, there’s nothing quite like a quick stop down St. Mary’s Road for a quick chicken dinner.
Red Top Drive-Inn Restaurant was established in 1960 by the Scouras family, with ownership transferred to Stavros Athanasiadis in 2019. As the name suggests, this Winnipeg landmark began as a drive-in family restaurant, one fondly remembered by generations of diner-goers.
Customer favourites include the Classic Breakfast, milkshakes, pressure-fried chicken, and of course, their famous burgers and fries.
Athanasiadis emphasizes that their classic recipes are just that — classics that have not changed since the day the restaurant opened in 1965. “We don’t have to fix anything; it’s always good, so we’ll keep it the same,” he says with pride.
“Yes, you want to grow the business. You want to make more sales. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to stay true to what Red Top has been all these years.”
A family tradition
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Lois has been coming to Red Top for over 23 years. She used to visit often with her husband, and now continues the tradition with her son, Todd, by her side. (Supplied)
Delicious food, a wholesome environment, and longtime staff are just a few of the features that have guests returning meal after meal and year after year.
“They were coming here with their family when they were kids. Now they’re adults, and they’re coming with their kids. It means a lot to them, and it means a lot to us to have them here.”
Beyond the mealtime tradition passed down through the generations, Athanasiadis shares that other stories from his regulars include his restaurant being where they had their first date, students coming in for a snack during breaks at nearby schools, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and even attending live concerts in the parking lot.
“It was the place to be at the time, and people are still talking about it,” Athanasiadis says fondly. “It meant a lot to them.”
Athanasiadis says that his biggest pride is that the establishment has not changed much since 1960.
“We still have the same food; the same comfort food, the same good food,” he says. “And we’re happy to see generations come through. It’s very important to us. When I hear people say they used to come here with their dad or their mom or their grandparents, and they still continue to come now with their family… that’s amazing. I’m very proud of that. And I want to continue. I want to make their family proud of that.”
Looking ahead
Red Top’s iconic sign welcome’s diners on St. Mary’s Road in Winnipeg.
While the staff always hope and appreciate full tables and grills, plans and goals for the future do not include much change.
“I do want to get busier, obviously. Improve some areas. But mostly, I want to stay true to what Red Top is. I don’t want to change things. Maybe just fix a few things, but that’s it.”
Athanasiadis thanks his loyal customers for their support over the last few years.
“I took over in 2019. Of course, COVID came [in] 2020,” he recalls. “It was very hard for a lot of businesses; a lot of businesses closed down. So I want to thank everybody that supported us- they came, and they told us that they want us to be here for another 65 years at least. So that was huge for me. From the bottom of my heart … thank you very much.”
Find Red Top Drive-Inn Restaurant at 219 St. Mary’s Road in Winnipeg and on social media.
This group of friends has gathered every week at Red Top Drive-Inn for 55 years!