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Line 42: Karl Magid from [[Toronto]] was a real-estate broker, entrepreneur, and developer.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /> Before opening the Roadhouse, Magid opened three smaller Lulu's in Kitchener and one in [[Belleville, Ontario|Belleville]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Crook |first=Barbara |date=November 9, 1985 |title=The Longest bar; It's definitely a real Lulu |work=[[Ottawa Citizen]]}}</ref> For example, Lulu's Dine & Dance opened in 1978, and was sold to other owners in 1981.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hicks |first=Jeff |date=2015-03-13 |title=Lulu's legacy ends with last live show |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/lulus-legacy-ends-with-last-live-show/article_fc589427-e03f-5e82-b852-904554b02862.html |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=The Record |language=en |archive-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315045256/https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/lulus-legacy-ends-with-last-live-show/article_fc589427-e03f-5e82-b852-904554b02862.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Magid discovered the former K-Mart site that would eventually become the Roadhouse on December 15, 1983.<ref name=":6" /> Then, he created the club's floorplan and decided he would open the club in 100 days.<ref name=":6" /> The Roadhouse was opened on April 3, 1984.<ref>{{Cite book |title=[[The Guinness Book of Records]] |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |year=1993}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 20, 1984 |title=Roadhouse hopes to attract big names |url= |website=[[The Globe and Mail]]}}</ref> Located off of [[Highway 8 (Ontario)|Highway 8]] at 4263 King St. E,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=McPherson |first=David |title=101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts |date=October 3, 2023 |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |isbn=9781459751606 |at=Fact 8}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> the club was {{Convert|75,000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} and held 3,000 people.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Randy |first1=Ray |title=The Great Canadian Trivia Book 2 |last2=Kearney |first2=Mark |date=May 1998 |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |isbn=9781770700154 |page=222}}</ref> The Roadhouse was entered into the [[Guinness World Records]] for having a {{Convert|103.6|m|ft|abbr=on|adj=on}} long bar.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> It has also been described as the largest nightclub in Canada.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Benjaminson |first=Peter |title=Mary Wells: the tumultuous life of Motown's first superstar |date=2012 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1-56976-248-6 |location=Chicago, Illinois}}</ref> The club gained a reputation as a "vibrant, artist-friendly free-for-all" Magid sold the club to John Ireland in 1989.<ref name=":0" /> Following [[Early 1990s recession|a recession]], it went bankrupt in 1992.<ref name=":0" /> Under new ownership by Benn Spiegel, the club was revived.<ref name=":0" /> It focused more on concerts, pivoting to [[hard rock]] music from the 70s to 90s.<ref name=":0" /> Some examples of artists who played include [[April Wine]], [[Ted Nugent]], [[Styx (band)|Styx]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]], and [[Bad Company]].<ref name=":0" /> Around this time, the longest bar was cut in half for improved traffic flow, causing the club to lose its world record.<ref name=":4" /> | |||