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![\"Ruth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4109603_web1_260401-Oh-Doughnuts2-.jpg\")
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Ruth Bonneville \/ Free Press<\/p>\n
\u2018The economy has been rough for us all,\u2019 says Oh Doughnuts owner Amanda Kinden at the company\u2019s Taylor Avenue location in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Not everyone was sure it was a joke though, said owner Amanda Kinden. Staff at Oh Doughnuts\u2019 Broadway and Taylor Avenue locations were fielding phone calls and in-person inquiries from concerned consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to make people mad or sad, but I think I maybe ended up doing both of those things,\u201d Kinden said.<\/p>\n
For Kinden, the post was a way to participate in April Fools\u2019 Day fun, just as she has many times since starting Oh Doughnuts in 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to make people mad or sad, but I think I maybe ended up doing both of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was also a way to draw attention to the challenges small businesses face, including rising costs and slower sales due to customers feeling cash-strapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to make light of small businesses closing, because it is really difficult for us out here right now,\u201d Kinden said. \u201cI\u2019m just sort of like, tongue in cheek, trying to create a little bit of awareness (about) that while having some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh Doughnuts wasn\u2019t the only local business trying to make the most out of the day.<\/p>\n
Nuburger posted on social media it was selling jackets filled with honey dill so customers will have an easier time dipping their yam fries in the sauce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to show that we have a little bit of personality and fun, and (that) there\u2019s humans behind these burgers,\u201d said Kyle Matheson, co-owner of the chain, which has six restaurants around the city. \u201cWe don\u2019t take ourselves too seriously \u2026 and that\u2019s why we like to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nuburger held off on advertising a new, real promotion on April Fools\u2019, lest the company confuse customers, he added.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Supplied<\/p>\n Nuburger\u2019s April Fools\u2019 Day joke 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Wednesday marked the start of \u201cEggpril,\u201d a month-long offer that allows patrons to add an organic egg from Manitoba producer Nature\u2019s Farm to any burger on the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually have to wait until April 2 to announce it because otherwise people would think (it\u2019s) a joke,\u201d Matheson said.<\/p>\n At La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Co., staff created a social media post announcing the Exchange District business is converting its \u201cRain Room\u201d into a full-time photo studio.<\/p>\n The post was meant to gently rib the people who have visited Nonsuch in recent months for the sole purpose of sneakily taking photos, said Ty Johnston, director of marketing and communications.<\/p>\n The photogenic space features dark green couches, luscious plants and 3,500 tassels hanging from the ceiling that mimic rain.<\/p>\n Johnston scheduled the social media post to go up early in the day with the hope that people would see it before realizing it was April Fools\u2019 Day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get some comments and we get some people laughing and we just get to connect with our audience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe get some comments and we get some people laughing and we just get to connect with our audience that way, and it reminds them to come on in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism posted on its social media channels about Donna AI, as in Donna \u201cActual Individual.\u201d<\/p>\n The post poked fun at artificial intelligence while highlighting Donna, the real-life receptionist who answers calls at the organization.<\/p>\n April Fools\u2019 Day paid off big time for the organization last year, when it published a blog post dubbing Winnipeg the \u201cmiddle child\u201d of Canada.<\/p>\n The post received so much online attention, a month later, Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism launched a campaign in select Canadian markets based on the concept as part of its efforts to attract visitors to the city.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The campaign is now expanding into the United States, with Minnesota and North Dakota receiving Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism\u2019s middle-child messaging, said Tyler Walsh, director of marketing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll always take advantage of coming up with a fun idea for April Fools\u2019 if it has an opportunity to shine a light on Winnipeg and shine a light on the work that we do,\u201d Walsh said.<\/p>\n \u201cAny kind of publicity we can generate that positions Winnipeg as a great place to live, work, invest and visit \u2014 we\u2019re going to take those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n Generally speaking, April Fools\u2019 Day social media posts are a positive thing for businesses, according to one expert.<\/p>\n \u201cIf something pops up (that is) a surprise, people like to care more,\u201d said Sijie Sun, a marketing professor at the University of Manitoba. \u201cIt gets people\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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