As Hudson鈥檚 Bay Co. revives the Zellers brand by opening store 鈥渆xperiences鈥� within HBC locations, the company will also be cashing in on Zellers diner nostalgia with the rollout of food trucks this spring.
On Thursday, the company announced the menu for its 鈥淒iner on Wheels,鈥� inspired by the results of an online poll HBC heldto have the public pick what items they鈥檇 want to see.
鈥淚t was a heated race, but five menu items are now preparing for their comeback,鈥� HBC, which owns the Zellers brand, said in a press release Thursday.
The diners in Zellers department stores were styled with the 1950s in mind and featured traditional diner fare such as burgers, fries and milkshakes.
So,in the spirit of those diners, the menu is as follows:
Big Z Burger
Hot Chicken Sandwich
Grilled Cheese
Chicken Fingers
Fries & Gravy
Last month, HBC said the food would reflect 鈥渇an favourites鈥� that were served at Zellers restaurants.
The food trucks will be at Hudson鈥檚 Bay locations, but dates and exactlocations will be announced at a 鈥渓ater date,鈥� the company said in a press release Thursday.
In 2012, HBC said the Zellers brand was not financially viable. The last department store closed in 2013.
At its peak, there were 350 locations in the late 1990s, but the brand lost footing as more retailers like Wal-Mart entered Canada.
HBC decided to bring back the retail chain a decade later due to customer nostalgia and loyalty to the brand, along with the expectation that Canadians will embrace the discount chain a time when inflation is at high not seen in decades, business experts told the The Canadian Press in August. The move provides the illusion of creating more competition in the market, when really it鈥檚 all under HBC, Vass Bednar, executive director of the Master of Public Policy in Digital Society at McMaster University, told The Canadian Press at the time.
Hudson鈥檚 Bay announced on Jan. 24 that it will lay off two per cent of its workforce, as it navigates 鈥渟ignificant external pressures鈥� facing retail. Two years ago, the company laid of 600 workers amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
With files from The Canadian Press
