By Matthew Abrey

It was pretty much beyond repair. It probably hadnsa国际传媒檛 had a facelift since the early 1980s and the food wasnsa国际传媒檛 as good as it once was.

It seemed like Rutlandsa国际传媒檚 Burger Baron, a once-iconic Kelowna eating institution, was resigned to its fate of fading into the history books.

That was, until Karrin Morris and Mounsef sa国际传媒淢oosesa国际传媒� Mounsef bought the formerly great Burger Baron in the fall of 2016, with the intention of restoring the classic burger joint to its former glory.

sa国际传媒淎 lot of work had to be done,sa国际传媒� said Morris. sa国际传媒淚t was in a pretty rough state, and basically in disrepair.sa国际传媒�

The pair spent many hours and dollars ripping out old and decaying appliances, wiping away decades of dirt and grime, and applying more than a few coats of paint.

All the work seems to be paying off.

sa国际传媒淭he public reaction has been phenomenal,sa国际传媒� said Morris.

sa国际传媒淲e opened in February of last year, and people are just so happy, and theysa国际传媒檙e saying sa国际传媒榦h my goodness, wesa国际传媒檙e so glad you didnsa国际传媒檛 shut this down,sa国际传媒� because in Kelowna, itsa国际传媒檚 been an icon for a long time. One family came in, and they just couldnsa国际传媒檛 wait to tell us that they were a fifth generation family coming here to the Burger Baron.sa国际传媒�

Morris and Mounsef pride themselves on using quality ingredients, while keeping the prices notoriously low. The meat for the hamburger patties is purchased locally, and all the produce is bought from local farms and vendors. Burger Baron also makes its famous milkshakes with real fruit and real cream, which comes from Foothills Creamery.

And while all these aspects are important to the pair, the one thing that makes the business venture so meaningful to Morris and Mounsef is the history and stories that walk through the door every day.

sa国际传媒淥ne gentleman who was probably in his seventies came in just the other day, and told us that his wife had worked at the Burger Baron when she was sixteen, and shesa国际传媒檚 in her sixties now,sa国际传媒� said Morris.

sa国际传媒淎nother time, two older ladies were sitting back to back to each other at different booths, and one was telling me that she had worked at the Burger Baron in the sixties and seventies when she was younger, and the other lady turned around and said sa国际传媒榟ey I worked there during those yearssa国际传媒�. They instantly recognized each other, and it turns out that they were old friends who hadnsa国际传媒檛 seen each other in over 40 years, so itsa国际传媒檚 just surreal to hear all these stories.sa国际传媒�

The Burger Baron has operated in the building near Rutland Road and Highway 33 since 1979.

sa国际传媒淚 love coming into work every day,sa国际传媒� says Morris. sa国际传媒淚 would never have thought that in my semi-retirement, I would be flipping burgers and whipping up milkshakes, but I just love my job.sa国际传媒�

Burger Baron is located at 140 Rutland Rd. N., and despite the small building, boasts a 50-seat diner and an increasingly busy drive-thru.

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