Keith Powell
The 3 & 93 Dairy Bar in Elko is still serving up delicious ice cream treats and tasty burgers, now under the watchful eye of new owners Adam and Heather Demaniuk. The popular ice cream stand has been a must stop for many people traveling Highway #3 since 1964.
The Demaniuks, who are from Canmore, took over the Dairy Bar in March 2023. When asked why they liked the business the Demaniuks said, “We had been going to the 3 & 93 Dairy Bar for a dozen years or so with family. Heather’s brother and mom both live in Fernie, and we wanted to be closer to them.”
Longtime owner, Gordon Holmes owned and operated the roadside stand from 1994. The business traditionally operates from the long end in May to Labour Day in September. Over the years the Dairy Bar menu has expanded to include burgers, fries, poutine and beef jerky.
Gordon Holmes had been working hard to sell his business since 2019. “The new owners promise to keep things the same. I’ve been at this for 28 years and I’m looking forward to retirement,” he said.
Adam and Heather added, “We love the nostalgia of the Dairy Bar - next year is the 60th anniversary of the Dairy Bar and we wanted to carry on the tradition. The business had been for sale for a long time and we were afraid that someone else would buy it and make a whole bunch of changes to it.”
It has been a busy transfer. “We have had great weather thus far and the whole South Country community has been so supportive and welcoming. Additionally, we were fortunate enough to hire a great team - the returning staff from previous years have been so helpful to us as we learned the business,” said the Demaniuks.
True to their promise the couple doesn’t have any major changes on the horizon. They said there will be a few subtle changes to the menu and a few new items we wanted to try, but for the most part, they want to keep the same recipe for success.
In a salute to the previous longtime owner, Gordon Holmes, they did change the name of the “3 & 93 Burger” to the “Gordon Burger” to honour his 28 year legacy. Gordon has been very helpful to us getting started this season.
The 3 & 93 Dairy Bar is located 20 minutes west of Fernie at the junction of Highway 3 and 93 in Elko, BC.