King of Donair facts for kids
King of Donair at Pizza Corner in Halifax
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| Locally owned subsidiary | |
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | Halifax, Nova Scotia (1973) |
| Headquarters | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Products | Pizza, garlic fingers, donairs, poutine, chicken wings, poppers, egg rolls |
King of Donair (often called KOD) is a famous chain of restaurants. It started in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1973. A Greek immigrant named Peter Gamoulakos created it. He made the donair very popular in the city.
Many people love King of Donair. It has been shown on TV shows like Trailer Park Boys, National Geographic, and the Food Network. Famous chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Matty Matheson have visited KOD. In 2015, the donair became the official food of Halifax. December 8 is even known as National Donair Day! Besides donairs, KOD is also known for its tasty pizza and garlic fingers. They also make other donair foods like donair egg rolls and donair pizza.
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History of King of Donair
How the Donair Started
The first King of Donair restaurant opened in 1973. It was on Quinpool Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Peter Gamoulakos, a Greek immigrant, founded it. He also owned a pizza shop called Velo's Pizza.
Peter got the idea for the donair after a trip to Greece. There, he ate a lot of gyros. He wanted to bring this dish to Canada. But he found that people in Nova Scotia in the 1970s did not like lamb meat or the yogurt sauce called tzatziki.
So, Peter changed the recipe. He used spicy beef instead of lamb. He also made a sweet sauce from evaporated milk. This new dish was based on the Turkish doner. The doner kebab was first made in 1867 in Turkey. Peter's new donair became very popular in Halifax in the 1970s. After making the recipe perfect, King of Donair opened in 1973. The first King of Donair is still in the same building today. The chain has four other locations in Nova Scotia.
Growing Across Canada
In the 2010s, King of Donair started to open new restaurants in Western Canada. They first tried out pop-up shops in Alberta. This helped them see if people there would like their food. They planned events in Calgary and Banff.
In 2018, two new restaurants opened in Alberta. These were in Edmonton and Grande Prairie. In 2019, they opened a third Alberta spot in Sherwood Park. They also opened their first restaurant in Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon. King of Donair planned to open more locations in other cities too. These included Vancouver, Kelowna, and Victoria in British Columbia. They also looked at Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
King of Donair in Pop Culture
- King of Donair appeared in the TV show Trailer Park Boys. It was in an episode called "A Man's Gotta Eat" in 2004.
- In 2015, a rapper named Quake Matthews released a song. It was called "Down With the King." This song was a tribute to the donair and King of Donair. It even featured characters from Trailer Park Boys.
Awards and Special Mentions
King of Donair has won many awards. The Coast is a local newspaper. Its readers voted KOD as the "Best Donair" many times. They won this award in 1998, and from 2001 to 2003. They also won from 2006 to 2010, and from 2013 to 2016. This means they won 14 times in 19 years! In 2018-2019, they were even added to the Hall of Fame.
