‘Time to relax’: Manitoba’s ‘Fry Guy’ retiring after 30 years on the food truck scene

The man behind a popular Exchange District lunch destination is hanging up his fry basket.

After three decades behind the deep fryer, the man affectionately known as ‘The Fry Guy’ is hanging up his apron for good.

“At 69, I decided it’s time to retire and time to relax and enjoy a little bit of life,” Darryl Leiman told CTV News.

Leiman owns Goldies Fries, a Winnipeg food truck staple. He serves up hot dogs, hamburgers and, naturally, French fries at Old Market Square, Bomber games or wherever the hungry masses assemble.

Leiman came by the food truck life naturally, having inherited Goldies from his mom and dad in the ‘80s.

It hasn’t been easy keeping the fries hot and the wheels turning over the years, he said.

Like any business, it’s come with its challenges, be it the pandemic or a life-changing crash that temporarily put the brakes on business.

Still, it was more than worthwhile.

“It’s never a dull moment,” he said.

“I love meeting new people and new customers. I love having people, all my friends right here. They’ve been going to my truck for years.”

Leiman hopes to hand over the keys to a successor—a ‘Fry Guy 2.0’ of sorts.

The business is currently up for sale. Leiman has had a few inquiries, but no solid offers yet.

Whoever he sells it to will get plenty of help in the handover, he said, plus a rewarding career filled with fun, hard work, and, of course, fries.

As for Leiman, life away from the truck could be a bit of an adjustment.

“It’s going to be very hard. I’ve got to wake up the next day and go, ‘What am I going to do? I can’t go downtown to visit my people.’”

- With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks