The iconic, 54-year-old, Hope Drive-In and Restaurant will shut down on Saturday, Nov. 5.
This comes as its owners Gordon Younie, his wife Caroline, and his sister Jean Perry retires.
I’ve been running around doing business of various kinds on this property for the better part of 40 years now,” said Younie. “And keeping this old place open through the ups and downs of many, many disruptions.”
Over the decades which Younie has run the restaurant, he has seen an evolution.
“I never thought that me in the ’80s or the ’90s would be running a flat screen and a Micros Restaurant E-7 computer,” said Younie, referring to his computerized point-of-sale systems.
The clientele also changed, and that has caused an uptick of orders for soup. Younie said he sells 20,000 bowls of soup annually.
But his menu has always centred around home-style cooking and ensuring every meal feels like home.
“We’ve actually brought people to tears after they’ve left doing business with us — miners, loggers. Because they get treated to home-styled cooking,” said Younie.
The Younie family has had a long history of running restaurants. After the Second World War, Younie’s grandparents opened up El Comando Cantina in Vedder Crossing.
Then in 1962, Younie’s parents opened the Drive-In.
Nov. 5, however, will mark the end of the Drive-In, unless a new management takes it over.
“Change always comes,” said Younie. “Now it’s time for us to move on and we’re going to change, I guess.”
Younie declared that the future for the restaurant is unknown beyond Nov. 5.
Find out what the best part of Younie’s career, and worst part, was in the Oct. 27 edition of The Standard.
