ProbarGOLD- Free

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF CANADA'S WEIRDEST FAST-FOOD FRANCHISE

Maclean's|July 2023
How a failed McDonald’s knock-off became a fast-food success for generations of Lebanese-Canadian immigrants in Alberta
- Omar Mouallem
THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF CANADA'S WEIRDEST FAST-FOOD FRANCHISE

IF YOU DIDN'T GROW UP in Alberta, you've probably never heard of Burger Baron. It's a fast-food chain in only the loosest terms, with a menu that varies wildly from location to location. The branding? There is none in the traditional corporate sense, except for the words "Burger Baron" in each restaurant's name. Some franchisees have pluralized it (Burger Barons), others eponymized it (Kelly's Burger Baron) and others embellished it (Burger Baron Pizza & Steak).

There have been nearly as many logos as locations-some, but not all, are reinterpretations of the original logo, a colourful little knight with crusader crosses on his shield. The menus, meanwhile, can run practically as long as a Chinese restaurant's. Some of the Barons have actually sold Chinese food, or Greek, or Italian, or Indigenous-inspired bannock burgers. The only guarantees are two burger recipes: the flagship Baron and the mushroom burger, their presence assured thanks to their cultish popularity with Albertans. The mushroom burger-a curiously soupy sandwich that looks and tastes like Campbell's cream of mushroom-is especially beloved.

There's one other guarantee: almost every single franchisee hails from a Lebanese family like mine. I was made a baronet as an infant, when my parents, Ahmed and Tamam Mouallem, moved from Slave Lake, Alberta, to the even smaller town of High Prairie, four hours northwest of Edmonton, to open their franchise. They were shrewd Lebanese who had left their country, once the Middle East's capital of commerce, before it was destabilized by ethnic cleansing and sectarian violence. My dad's uncle, living in Slave Lake, sponsored his arrival in Canada in 1971, when Lebanon was teetering on the edge of civil war. By the time my dad returned home to find a bride in his hometown near the Syrian border, "Beirut" had already become synonymous with urban ruin.

Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de Maclean's.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,500 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de Maclean's.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,500 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE MACLEAN'SVer todo
A DIVIDED CITY
Maclean's

A DIVIDED CITY

In Windsor, Ontario, lives, careers and family ties have transcended the Canada-U.S. border for generations. Today, Trump's trade war is an existential threat for Canada's most American city.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2025
SALT AND CEDAR
Maclean's

SALT AND CEDAR

A couple build a minimalist retreat in sync with the Atlantic's stormy coastlines

time-read
2 minutos  |
July 2025
My Weekend at Sad Camp
Maclean's

My Weekend at Sad Camp

After my mother’s death, I signed up for a grief retreat in the forests of California. It upended everything I knew about mourning—and healing.

time-read
7 minutos  |
July 2025
Never For Sale
Maclean's

Never For Sale

This country has spent 250 years fighting American aggression. How resistance and resilience became the heart of Canada's national identity.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2025
FACES OF THE TRADE WAR
Maclean's

FACES OF THE TRADE WAR

Donald Trump's trade war is an existential threat for Canada's small and medium-sized businesses. Every year, they export more than $200 billion worth of goods to the United States and import nearly $150 billion worth—including equipment, food, construction materials and other products they need to stay afloat. Now, as businesses contend with tariff-induced inflation, suppliers are disappearing, prices are skyrocketing and profit margins are shrinking or vanishing altogether. That puts small-business owners on the frontlines of the trade war. Here, five of them describe their hopes, fears and game plans as they navigate U.S. tariffs, Canadian countermeasures and an economic climate of unprecedented uncertainty.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2025
MY ADVENTURES WITH CANADIAN BOOKS
Maclean's

MY ADVENTURES WITH CANADIAN BOOKS

I left Russia as the country slid into authoritarianism and arrived in Canada knowing no one. In its novels, I found a blueprint for how to survive as a nation in the age of anger.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2025
HOW TO FIGHT BACK
Maclean's

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

Trump's tariff war was a wake-up call for Canada to abandon its gentle complacency and take some big swings. Here are eight gutsy, radical ideas to secure the nation's future.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2025
Harvest Water From Fog
Maclean's

Harvest Water From Fog

Canada’s fresh-water supply has been drained by drought and dwindling aquifers. To find more, just look up.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July 2025
Diana Matheson, Olympic soccer star and Northern Super League founder, is giving Canadian women a pro league of their own
Maclean's

Diana Matheson, Olympic soccer star and Northern Super League founder, is giving Canadian women a pro league of their own

BACK WHEN DIANA MATHESON was a star midfielder for Canada’s national women’s soccer team, plays were analyzed using magnets on tactical boards.

time-read
9 minutos  |
July 2025
“I fled war zones in two countries. Now I build homes in Alberta.”
Maclean's

“I fled war zones in two countries. Now I build homes in Alberta.”

I left Ukraine behind, then Israel. In Calgary, I started over cleaning construction sites.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July 2025

Usamos cookies para proporcionar y mejorar nuestros servicios. Al usan nuestro sitio aceptas el uso de cookies. Learn more