Ahoy Mateys! Adult Pirate Pak Day Coming to White Spot
Explaining the appeal of a White Spot Pirate Pak to people who have never tried one is sometimes a challenge.
It’s basically a kids meal, stuffed into a paper boat with a paper sail supported by a straw. On the deck of the boat, there’s a spot for a burger, fries and a soft drink. A scoop of ice cream goes into the prow and, of course, there’s the pirate treasure: one solid gold (chocolate) coin.
It’s cheesy. It’s gimmicky. And it’s the stuff of legend here in Vancouver, where the very first White Spot restaurant was born back in 1928. (Now there are 64 White Spots serving up Legendary Burgers and fries across Canada and around the world.) In fact, it’s hard to find anyone who grew up in the city who doesn’t have some incredibly nostalgic memories of going to White Spot as a kid and digging into their very own Pirate Pak.
If that describes you, you may be in luck. On August 14, White Spot is holding its annual Adult Pirate Pak Day. Normally just for the kiddies, the adorable paper boats packed with fast-food goodness will be available to everyone, for one day only.
The Adult Pirate Pak comes with a choice of four burgers: the Legendary Burger, Bacon Cheddar Bigger Burger, B.C. Chicken Burger and (for the health conscious) the Portobello Provolone Veggie Burger. Inside the boat, you’ll find all of the standard goodies: creamy coleslaw, fries and soft drink and even the scoop of ice cream and gold coin. The meals start at $11.49, a considerable mark-up from the kiddie version.
But it’s all for a good cause: $2 from every Pirate Pak sold that day is donated to Zajac Ranch for Children, a B.C. camp for kids facing serious illness or disability.
Here’s some Pirate Pak trivia to stir up those childhood memories:
- The Pirate Pak was conceived by White Spot’s late, great founder Nat Bailey back in 1968 as a way to “provide an exclusive dining experience for kids age 10 and under,” according to the restaurant web site. That’s a full 11 years before McDonald’s rolled out the Happy Meal.
- Since 1968, more than 22 million Pirate Paks have been sold. (That’s a fortune in gold coins!)
- Last year, 803,088 Pirate Paks were sold.
- This year marks the sixth annual Adult Pirate Pak Day. For last year’s event, 23,110 Pirate Paks were sold, generating $50,470 in charitable donations.
Any Pirate Pak fans out there? Let us know below.
For more updates on Vancouver and beyond, follow me on Twitter @RemyScalza.
Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2013/08/08/ahoy-mateys-adult-pirate-pak-day-coming-to-white-spot/
