From the Winnipeg Tribune Collection
The date is either 1957 or 1958 depending on who you ask but Champs Food Systems came into existence with a drive-in in the North End. Oscar Grubert, a young lawyer at the time secured the franchise for a fast rising restaurant chain called Kentucky Fried Chicken.
For over two decades thereafter, Kentucky Fried Chicken was known locally as Champ's.
In the years after, Oscar Grubert established a few other restaurant chains. For a time in the 1970s a restaurant named Grubee's existed in a number of locations. It was a burger joint where you could put your own condiments on the burger. While Grubee's didn't last into the next decade, Grubert created a few other restaurants that did. Mother Tucker's Food Experience lasted for many years in the downtown and was a favourite for those celebrating a birthday. Today, Mother Tucker's continues to operate in Ontario.
In the 1980s, Grubert formed a partnership with sports legend Tommy Lasorda and created a rib and pasta restaurant named Tommy Lasorda Ribs.
At present, I am searching for another information and anecdotes about Champs, Oscar Grubert and the various restaurant entities.
