Page 18 Friday, June 29 2018
The MessengerCOMMUNITY
MANOTICK MESSENGER
Fresh ingredients and quality give Burgers and Shakes good food, not fast food Thirty-two years can seem like forever for some people. For the Tohme family, they can’t believe how quickly 32 years can go by. It was 1986 – the same year that the Manotick Messenger became the local community newspaper serving South Carleton – that Burgers and Shakes was born. A young entrepreneur, named Albert Tohme, had gone through many businesses, such as a grocery store and an automotive body shop. He had his heart set on a quaint little place called Burgers and Shakes and Fresh Cut Fries, located behind Drummond’s gas station at Mitch Owens and River Roads. The Tohme family has more than succeeded. He wanted a business that used fresh food that was never frozen, and had a superior level of customer service. Albert and Nadia, with the help of their children, have built one of the most successful family businesses in the history of the Village of Manotick. Ali Tohme, his family, and his business partner, Katryna Chaykowski, say the formula for their success is not complicated. Fresh ingredients, great food, a great location, and top notch customer service have all played a part in making Burgers and Shakes a local business success story in what has been a tough environment for many. “The quality of the food is what has been bringing people back,” Ali said. “Everything is fresh, and we use all natural ingredients. We ground the beef our-
selves for the burgers. We use ice cream from Tracey’s Dairy (formerly Breyer’s) for our shakes. We are like a 1950s-styyle burger and shake place, where the focus is on quality.” That focus has made Burgers and Shakes good food as opposed to fast food. Ali Tohme, who started working with his parents when he was an adolescent, opened a location in Barrhaven at Strandherd and Kennevale three years ago. “When my father (Albert Tohme) bought the business in Manotick, he wanted to create a burger that tasted like something you would have at a backyard barbecue,” Ali said. “They were located in the back of Drummond’s Gas Station, and the business had been called Burgers, Shakes and Fries. Even though fries are still a big part of the business, he simplified it to Burgers and Shakes.” Albert Tohme bought the business in 1986 from a friend, who wanted to move to Florida and retire. The business thrived as a destination and eventually outgrew its location. They moved two kilometres east to the corner of Mitch Owens Road and Limebank Road, where they have been since 2001. Located across from the OSU George Nelms Soccer Park and St. Mark High School, Burgers and Shakes in Manotick also has a golf driving range and a mini-putt on site. The customers come back for the quality of the food, and the critics like what they have tried. Burgers and Shakes has won the Top
Nadia and Albert Thome, surrounded by their staff, have operated Burgers and Shakes in Manotick since 1986. It is one of the most successful family businesses in the history of the village. Jeff Morris photo
Choice Awards Top Burger Place in Ottawa, and they have won the Top Choice Award for Best Burgers in Ottawa six of the last eight years. “A lot of families go to the soccer park in Manotick and then come over for burgers and shakes after they are done,” Tohme said. “They know us, and when we opened in Barrhaven, we already had a strong customer base.” Tohme started working for his parents in Manotick as an adolescent and, like many in family business, and learned the business from the bottom up. “I started by peeling and cutting potatoes,” he said. “They gave me two dollars a day. But it was always a nice, crispy brand new two dollar
bill. It was exciting to get that.” While the burgers are award winners, many customers think the shakes are even better. “They use the best ice cream on the planet,” said one customer, who wanted to chime in when he heard Tohme talking about the shakes. “I come all the way from Pakenham just for the shakes.” The shakes, like the burgers, are made the authentic and old fashioned way. While most fast food places have mixtures they put into machines, Burgers and Shakes uses milk and ice cream and a wide range of flavours to make the most authentic shakes found in Eastern Ontario. “We have 36 flavours
of shakes, and we are always featuring flavours of the month,” Tohme said. The menu is simple, but it does go beyond fresh burgers, fresh but fries and homemade shakes. They also have shawarma, and other items like onion rings, deep fried zucchini and deep fried pickles. “A lot of people don’t realize it, but our number two item behind burgers has always been shawarma,” he said, adding the hummus and garlic sauce is made from scratch using his mother’s recipe. “I thought about getting a spit for the shawarma, but my father advised me against it. Instead, we cook our meat on the barbecue on skewers. Our customers love it.”
Tohme worked in the family business and eventually worked at TD Canada trust in Barrhaven. He saved money for several years, went back to school, and began planning for the opening of the family’s second Burgers and Shakes location. “We put our hearts and our souls into this place,” he said. “Our family does, and our employees do, too. We are all like a big family here. Some of the employees were even customers as kids, coming to eat with their families. “When a business has been in the family for so long, it becomes a part of you. This is more than a burger place to us. It’s my father’s legacy.”