What's a Snack Bar?

We’ve got a turkey supper with all the trimmings planned for Sunday supper at the Boulton house tonight but I have time to write a post since I’m not doing the cooking.  The Dennis County Cafe is making our supper so I have time to find out the history of their building! Having found it called a "Snack Bar" over its history, I was curious where that term came from and where it went. The Cambridge online dictionary says it is a small, informal restaurant where small meals can be eaten or bought to take away.  Counters with stools for customers were common and I have heard the "D.C" once had that set up. 

The original food service on the site was on the south side of McMurchy Garage  built in 1950 and operated by Colin and Helen McMurchy for a short time. I think it would have been right below the BA sign in the Go Kart race scene in the picture above from the Olenick collection.   The restaurant was bought by Lew and Helen (Curtis) Traill in 1951 who called it Lew's Snack Bar.  They successfully ran it until 1956 when the building was lost to fire.  Lew rebuilt it as a stand alone building that sucessfully survives and they ran it for the next 11 years.  The Trails Along the Pipestone (1981) history book describes it as a 25 X 90 foot restaurant with living quarters at the back and a fine impressive windowed front.  This new spot was renamed the Traill Inn. What a great name! The ad below appeared in the Kinloss Ladies Club Cookbook in 1959.  

Picture from 1964 - Online at McKee Archives in Brandon University

The next owners were George and Kay (Skelton) Walker in 1963 then Alvin and Florence (Winch) Birnie in 1971. The living quarters had 3 bedrooms and a large living room.  The restaurant kitchen was used by the families and there was a kitchen table at the end of the living room. Friday and especially Saturday nights were very busy with gatherings after the movie at the theatre.  Hard work, no doubt, but great memories for many.  Walker's Snack Bar was renamed Birnie's Snack Bar in 1971 with the change of owners. With the Birnies retirement in 1979, the business was taken on by Ben and Gerrie Kroeker and he went in search of a name to convey some local history. It became known as the Dennis County Cafe.

Thanks to Joanna Watt for sharing this souvenir of the past that is on the wall in their home. 

In the early days, the RM of Wallace, Wordsworth, Pipestone and Sifton were called the County of Dennis. You can read a neat little booklet online here at Peel's Prairie Provinces that was written in 1888 encouraging settlers to move to the County of Dennis. It includes a list of land in the area that is open for homesteading and purchase.  The southern part of the county was relatively undeveloped before the arrival of the railroad in 1892 but the booklet contains a map of every section in the county. I wonder how many of our ancestors were drawn to the area through this booklet. The Dennis County Planning District today is a group created to encourage investment and business in the exact same area as then.  

Barry and Donna Davis bought the restaurant in 1986 and ran it with their kids before Pat and Ross Taylor took over and did the same.  It was a first workplace for many of the young people of our community and the lessons learned in serving the public no doubt carried them well in their lives. Some will recall the green gingham aprons they wore during the Kroeker era many years later! Bert and Debbie Smith were the next and celebrated 25 years at the cafe in July of 2016.  They used the apartment in the back to market the business as a Bed and Breakfast during the days when oil was booming and rooms were scarce.  Former employee Amanda Gray and Braeden Gray took over in 2017 and have weathered the 2020 Covid-19 storm with their popular pizzas, chicken wings and special salads heading out the door in take-out meals. They use the living quarters area in the back for extra seating (when dine-in is an option) and small group gatherings.  Along with the ones in this house, over 100 other Restonites will appreciate having the cooking done for them tonight.  It's certainly more than a Snack Bar today!  

Just think of all the news that has been shared around those tables - good and bad, true and not.  It is the heart of our community and they need all our support until we can gather there again over a cup of coffee. 

Corrections, additions and memories are always welcome to ssimms@escape.ca or by the comments box below. 

Update: 6:00 pm - We just finished our delicious and very generous meals and are rolling to a spot on the couch for the evening.  Thanks Amanda and Braeden and their kids who are working hard tonight along with their parents.  Well done all!