Reopening of historic Burger King location sparks fond memories for former Windsor employee
When Mary Ann Andrejicka worked at Burger King in the 1960s, a Whopper cost 69 cents.
“$1.10 an hour was our starting pay. The females had to wear the uniform dresses,” Andrejicka recalled.
Windsor is home to Canada’s first Burger King. The historic location at 2850 Tecumseh Road East first opened its doors in September 1969.
“They didn't really promote that this is the first Burger King in Canada. So we were really naive to that fact,” said Andrejicka.
Mary Ann Andrejicka recalls her experience working at the first Burger King in Canada in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)She recalls managers of the original location running a tight ship.
“It had be spotless,” she said. “They would get down on their hands and knees with a knife and scrape the tile floor.”
Back in the day, employees worked without the help of high tech machinery.
“You would punch in the order and then most of the time you are calculating the whole bill by adding it up yourself. The most dangerous piece of equipment in that building was the tomato slicer,” said Andrejicka.
Located next to the Windsor Assembly Plant, Andrejicka explains lunch time was hectic.
“Chrysler guys would come running across the street,” she recalled. “The line would be unbelievable. It would be around the block.”
Mary Ann Andrejicka recalls her experience working at the first Burger King in Canada in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)On Friday, Dec. 2, the first Burger King restaurant in Canada reopened its doors with a new look.
Renovations include an outdoor digital menu board in the drive-thru, and a modern new exterior and interior.
This original Burger King is one of 30 locations being redesigned by Redberry across the country in 2022 and 2023.
With the historic location turning a new chapter, Andrejicka hopes the next generation of Burger King employees will make the most out of their experience.
“Appreciate the opportunity to work there. Because it can teach you a lot,” she said. “It can teach you working with other people. It can teach you respect.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.