FRENCH FRIES, FAT BOYS, AND MILKSHAKES: THE LAMBOS FAMILY LEGACY
Dec 11, 2025THE DRIVE IN
If you drive south out of Winnipeg’s downtown along Main Street, cross the Red River, and turn left onto Marion Street, it won’t be long before you pass a tall blue archway with an ice cream cone on top. “DAIRI WIP” runs vertically down one pillar in neon letters, while “DRIVE IN” and a glowing arrow point passing cars toward an unassuming single-story structure.
Dairi Wip serves burgers, hot dogs, fries, chili, milkshakes, and ice cream. While the restaurant recently replaced its traditional hanging menu board for television screens, the menu itself has hardly changed over the last six decades. When Carson Lambos was growing up, stops at Dairi Wip were frequent.
“If I had hockey on that side of the city, we were going there after practice,” said Lambos. “I mean, I still go there pretty regularly.”
Lambos differs from other loyal customers in his attachment to the Dairi Wip. For the people behind the counter, he is quite literally family. His uncle, Trif Lambos, currently runs the restaurant with a business partner. In a twist that comes as little surprise to the city’s Greek population, Trif’s partner, Dean Lambos, is unrelated.
“My grandparents moved from Greece separately and met in Winnipeg,” said Lambos. “It’s funny, when I go anywhere with my dad or my papou (grandfather), it seems like they know every Greek person in the city.”
John and Georgia, Carson’s grandparents, opened Dairi Wip in 1958 with a business partner a few years after immigrating to Canada. It quickly became a Winnipeg staple, and like many Greek restaurants in the city, has been passed down to the next generation.
“It’s a pretty unique spot,” said Lambos. “There are some other places like it in Winnipeg, but those are sit-down places.”
When Lambos visits Dairi Wip, he rarely deviates from his traditional order of a Fat Boy, fries, and a milkshake.
“A Fat Boy is a chili burger,” said Lambos. “It’s probably what they’re best known for.”
Trif, unsurprisingly, knows Carson’s order by heart.
“With most of our clientele, we start their order before they leave their car,” said Trif.
Many of Dairi Wip’s patrons have been visiting for decades. Trif, who started working at Dairi Wip when he was 13 years old, has been at the restaurant for 44 years. Consistency has been key to success, but there have been small changes over the years.
“The prices have changed a little from 1958 to 2025, but the recipes are still the same,” said Trif. “We added gravy a while ago, and that was an uproar. I fought about that with the older generation. In the old days, if you weren’t ready to order, you got scolded. Things have changed a little bit. It’s a different atmosphere with a different generation.”
John, now over 90 years old, still works at least one day a week. Carson, who worked a couple shifts when he was a teenager, still has an open invitation to come back.
"My dad retired for a bit, but then two weeks later he came back to work,” said Trif. “Carson had a better job offer, but he always has a place of employment here if hockey’s not his thing."
THE HOMETOWN KID
The Lambos family had an inkling that Carson might be destined for professional hockey at a relatively young age.
“When he was 13 or 14, they were talking about him in Winnipeg,” said Trif. “Right around when he started up with RINK (Hockey Academy), and he was playing with older kids, there was some buzz.”
The chatter grew louder after Lambos joined the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice.
“That’s when everybody was talking,” said Trif. “He had a chance at our national team but didn't get much playing time. He was disappointed at the time but ultimately became a better person and hockey player for it.”
Lambos grew up going to Manitoba Moose games at Canada Life Centre, a 15,000-seat arena in Winnipeg’s downtown.
“You grow up with dreams, and that rink is the biggest stage you know,” said Lambos. “When I was five or six, we played out there during an intermission.”
The dream of playing in his hometown arena in a real game unexpectedly came true at the end of the 2022-23 season, when the Winnipeg Ice advanced to the WHL Finals.
“We played out of a pretty small rink,” said Lambos. “They wanted to get more people in for our games, and the Jets were knocked out of the playoffs. That was my first time playing an actual hockey game there.”
Over the first two seasons of his professional career, Lambos has played eight more games at Canada Life Centre, this time as a member of the Iowa Wild. During Iowa’s trips to Winnipeg, there are always familiar faces in the stands.
“For this trip, I’ll probably need to get tickets for 40 people,” said Lambos. “There’s even more people at the games who get their own tickets. This weekend, I’ll have some buddies who are back from school who are usually never there, so I’m excited to be able to see them and play in front of them.”
The Lambos family typically gathers at the arena, watching the game intently while the youngest generation bounces around in their seats.
“I love watching those kids skate,” said Trif. “It’s entertaining and they’re so focused. Even though the team’s not having the best start to the year record-wise, it's still a good group of hockey players.”
Watching Carson play fills many family members with pride, none more so than his grandfather.
“Carson’s close with his granddad,” said Trif. “They have a special bond and he’s really proud of what Carson has become.”
THE VOLUNTEER
Over the course of his first two seasons, Lambos developed a connection to Des Moines. Entering the 2025-26 campaign, he knew he wanted to develop a community program in a way that reflected his values.
“When I met my girlfriend and her family, I didn’t know how many shelters were overrun and how much help they needed,” said Lambos.
Lambos decided he wanted to partner with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) to support animal rescue and care.
“My girlfriend’s mom has rescued dogs for many years, and seeing how happy they are resonated with me,” said Lambos. “I heard these stories about dogs left behind at shelters as people go to breeders instead of adopting.”
The desire to help animals comes as no surprise for those who know Lambos best.
“Carson’s one of a kind,” said Trif. “He’s a great kid. I'm not saying that just because I’m his uncle. He’s a great human being; he’s gracious, thankful, and doesn’t take anything for granted.”
Trif characterizes his nephew, who was selected as Iowa’s November Community Player of The Month, as someone who will do good things under the radar.
“Seeing that was not a surprise to me whatsoever,” said Trif. "He's a kindhearted soul who doesn’t do things for recognition or accolades.”
Lambos has already been certified by the ARL as a volunteer and plans to visit throughout the season to spend time with dogs. Through a new program, he will offer Iowa Wild fans the opportunity to join him in group volunteer sessions, which will focus on building new rescue and treatment facilities. Lambos hopes that he and fans can make a difference and draw attention to the ARL’s mission of protecting the welfare of animals, preserving the human-animal bond, and preventing the overpopulation of companion animals.
“There’s a lot of dogs that need homes,” said Lambos. “Hopefully, the next time someone wants to get a dog, they will go to the shelter instead of a breeder."