The long-standing Humpty’s Family Restaurant in Swift Current closed their doors for the final time on August 21.
Kosta Kanakis, who has owned the local franchise for the past ten years, said that the restaurant garnered attention from more than one celebrity over the past decade including Axl Rose and Billy Bob Thornton.
The business owner stated that both occasions left an impression on him, specifically Thornton, with Kanakis even referencing the infamous vial that once donned the actor’s neck.
“I'm a huge fan of his and I think it was at the time when he was still with Angelina (Jolie),” he reflected. “I remember that he still had that vial, that he carried around his neck. So, that’s something that stood out for me.
“Rose was a little annoyed in general, I think he was more used to flying with airplanes.”
The building is scheduled to be torn down within a couple of years, while a brand-new Ricky’s will open next door.
The change comes after 35 Humpty’s locations across Western Canada were bought out by FDF Brandz — which owns Ricky’s, Fatburger, and Famoso Pizzeria + Bar. The sale became effective on December 31, 2020.
Although the transition to Ricky’s will be a big one for the restaurant owner, he has numerous fond memories of Humpty’s Family Restaurant.
“It was there before anything else was built around it,” he noted. “It's kind of funny, I still remember 2002 when there was a Zellers and there was basically nothing else. The mall, the Zellers, the Burger King and the Humpty’s and everything else was just grassland.
It's sad that the building is going down, but on the other hand, a newer building is getting built. It's been like 40/50 years standing and they get old. So, it's the end of an era and the beginning of a new era.”
Kanakis stated that Ricky’s is tentatively set to open in early October, depending on issues with the supply chain.