STEINBACH, MB
One of Steinbach’s great and storied restaurants Joe’s Diner was once an instituton on Main Street, serving three generations of customers with its signature hamburgers and soda pop.
It was always believed that the restaurant shut down when owner Joe Wiebe decided to retire. However, new evidence has suggested that the demise of the restaurant all hinged on a ‘Bottomless Pepsi’ promotion gone bad.
“I didn’t retire by choice, let me tell you that,” said Mr. Wiebe, now in his early 90s. “It was that darn all-you-can-drink Pepsi offer back in ’82 that did me in.”
Mr. Wiebe, speaking candidly for the first time about his famous restaurant, claims that thousands of Mennonites showed up on that blistery day in late November and drank gallons and gallons of Pepsi.
“My recommendation to restaurant owners: limit the free refills and require the purchase of fries or something,” said Wiebe. “I don’t want bottomless Pepsi to do someone else in like it did me.”
(photo credit: by Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos/CC)