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
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.