Winnipeg ice cream shop opens, then closes after complaints over new drive-thru service

After opening for just two days,one of Winnipeg's most iconic ice cream spots has closed again.

Bridge Drive-in opened a drive-thru at its Jubilee Avenue location on Friday in place of its regular walk-up service.

But it was quickly overwhelmed, with vehicles lining up for blocks on the street.

That sparked complaints from nearby residents about driveways and lanes being blocked by stopped cars.

"You know, we're only human and we made a mistake," said Justin Jacob, owner of BDI. "We acknowledge it and we want to correct it now."

Jacob said the Jubilee location was immediately shut down.

"The correction for now is to close down and we're working on alternate plans to keep something in place that we can open," he said.

Jacob plans to re-evaluate over the coming days on what the next steps will be.

"We will ... try to reopen to pedestrian traffic with social distancing measures in place, as well as decreased parking in our lot," read a post on the BDI Facebook page.

Under normal circumstances, businesses must obtain permission from the City of Winnipeg'splanning, property anddevelopment department before they can operate a drive-thrurestaurant window. This usually involves a public hearing before a city council committee.

Winnipeg's chief corporate services officer said he does not believe BDI underwent this process.

"To my knowledge, the proprietors of the BDI have never obtained approval for a drive-thru," Michael Jack told Transcona Coun. Shawn Nason in an email the councillor shared with media.

"Considerations on such applications involve analysis of how they impact traffic, and this is an example of why such a process is required."

Jack said during the pandemic there aremany examples of proprietors thinking outside the box by employingtemporary measures to continue service. The city isattempting to be flexible, he said, but noted traffic impact of the BDImove wassomething the city must deal with immediately.

That did not happen. In a statement, City of Winnipeg spokesperson Kalen Qually said the citydid not make any requests of BDIthis weekend.

WATCH | BDI drive-thru shut down:

BDI drive-thru shut down

4 years ago

Duration 1:51

Bridge Drive-in opened a drive-thru on Friday, only to close it after a surge in demand.