Fritzie's is Celebrating 50 Years of Business

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Monday, 17 July 2023 07:09

Legendary local business, Fritzie's is celebrating 50 years since the opening of the original food truck.

WOODSTOCK - One of the most well known establishments in Woodstock is celebrating a big anniversary.

It has been 50 years since Alfred "Fritz" Charron started up his food truck with his wife Margaret, which would eventually grow to become Fritzies.

The food truck is no longer around but there are now two restaurants in the Friendly City. The west end restaurant is located at 32 Perry Street and the east end restaurant is located at 881 Dundas Street.

Steve Charron is the owner/operator of the west end location and he remembers when his uncle Fritz started the food truck in the early 1970s.

"It was amazing! He did a lot of work painting the bus in his driveway and stuff like that. I was 13-years-old when I started to work for him."

He then went on to work alongside his uncle for quite some time.

"We had a lot of fun. We got along, told jokes, and stuff like that. I really liked it so I put 10 years in working in the bus and did the bus for five years before he bought my store, the Perry Street location. We kept the bus open for another three years after that with both going."

Steve dedicated about 10 years to the business, before taking 10 years off to work out west for a bit. He rejoined the family business when Fritz purchased the east end location.

Fritz eventually sold the Dundas Street location to his daughter Yvonne, who then sold it to her son Caolan Wilkins.

Wilkins says Fritzie's has changed with the times, but a lot has stayed the same.

"It's the same but different. We have the same products that they always used to have but we have added more. So we didn't take anything away, we just added it. We also developed a Facebook page, Instagram, and our website which we never had before. It was hard for people to find us, but now it's not."

He's looking forward to seeing what the future brings.

"The possibilities are endless! This is a unique place and people enjoy it. We have unique food that is mostly local and the sky is the limit."

We also asked Steve Charron for his thoughts on the future of the family business.

"You never know as far as a bus or another establishment. Right now we are quite content with the two and working on building them. We do have Facebook and Instagram which is a big help these days."

Both Fritzie's locations will be hosting 50th anniversary celebrations on Thursday, July 20th. The stores will be decorated for the occasion and they will have special promotions. This includes footlong and hamburger combos for $10, small fries for $2.50 each, and a new Golden Burger complete with a prime rib patty, bacon, swiss cheese, fried onions, onion rings, and your choice of toppings.

Wilkins is very proud of his grandfather's legacy.

"I'm proud of my grandpa and the fact that his idea came to fruition. It's lasted 50 years and that's amazing. I just wish he could see it."