Peter Pan restaurant: gone, but not forgotten

Posted on January 31, 2025 | By Alexander Chafe | 0 Comments

 

A photo of the early days of Peter Pan (photo submitted by: Deanna Matters Garnhum and Michael G LeClair)

Once an iconic building and eatery on Prince Edward Island, Peter Pan drive-in restaurant operated for 55 years. Its menu of classic comfort food with an East Coast twist quickly won the hearts of many locals. Although the restaurant closed its doors in 2013, many Islanders still fondly remember what it once was—some have recently attempted to revive the magic.

Taking flight

Doug Hill and Bill Beer, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs on Prince Edward Island, opened Peter Pan drive-in restaurant on June 26, 1958. Originally, its location on the corner of Malpeque Road and the highway was considered outside Charlottetown. Hill’s daughter, Rosemary Hill-Miller, says many had doubts about the venture: “Everybody said, ‘you’re going to lose your shirt’ and dad would say ‘if the food’s good, they’ll come.’ And they did.”

Peter Pan’s opening day was advertised with a full-page ad in The Guardian with restaurant dos and don’ts, words from the owners and menu features. Its initial menu included fish and chips; a seafood basket with oysters, scallops and clams; a corned beef sandwich; a chicken basket and burgers (which they became best known for).

Hill-Miller says the menu didn’t change much over time and people especially loved their hamburgers garnished with Peter Pan’s red relish. Since the restaurant didn’t have a dine-in area, customers usually ate in their cars in the parking lot after ordering and picking up their food inside. Rosemary remembers her family ate at Peter Pan every Friday.

An ad about the opening day of Peter Pan in The Guardian (photo credit: The Guardian).

Changing hands

After operating the restaurant for years on his own, Doug Hill sold Peter Pan to Kenny Jones around the early ‘70s. A former manager of Peter Pan, Terry Robblee started working at the restaurant in 1985. He says generations of families ate at Peter Pan and employees were on a first-name basis with many regulars and would know their orders. “A lot of times when you’d see them pull in the parking lot, you’d start their order even before they come in”, he explained.

In 1988, Jones sold the restaurant to Scott Linkletter. Robblee left his role as manager in 1997 after purchasing Blue Goose restaurant with his wife Carla (Kenny Jones’ daughter who he met working at Peter Pan). He says the restaurant changed hands a few times after that before it eventually closed in 2013.

Years after closing, the future of Peter Pan and its iconic A-frame building was unknown. However, to the disappointment of many Islanders, the building was demolished in 2020 and nothing has been built in its place.

A photo of Peter Pan’s building in 2016 (photo credit: Michael G LeClair)

Memories remain

Although it’s been over a decade since Peter Pan closed, many have fond memories of the old burger spot. In a location-based Facebook group, dozens of locals shared their memories of the brand. In 2022, college carpentry students worked on restoring an old sign from the restaurant and one Islander even created a 3D simulation of Peter Pan in a video game.

Local restaurants have also recently attempted to revive Peter Pan. On January 22, Ada Culinary Studio and Grab & Go had a Peter Pan burger pop-up and Terry Robblee says they plan to soon serve a Peter Pan burger at Blue Goose on Fridays.


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