No Bad Cuts: Inside Drive In Barbershop

Alec started cutting hair in high school because he and his friends couldn't afford to get theirs cut. They found tutorials on YouTube and took turns practicing on each other. By the second time he cut his friend's hair, he'd decided he wanted to be a barber. He opened his first shop at 20.

A few years later came the south side Drive In Barbershop, where you could get a haircut and a car wash at the same time — what Alec believes was the first setup of its kind in Canada, and it went viral on TikTok. Two years after that, the west side location opened on 170 Street. There's no car wash here, but it kept what made the brand work: barbers hired as much for personality as for skill, a consultation nobody rushes, and a refund for anyone who leaves unhappy. We talked with Alec about building a culture, what's trending in the chair, and how the west side found its feet.

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From YouTube to His Own Shop

How did you get your start?

I started cutting hair in high school, almost just because we didn't have money to get haircuts. My friend cut my hair, we went on YouTube, and then I cut his. After doing his haircut maybe twice, I thought: this is actually really fun, I want to do this. I told myself I'm going to be a barber, and once you identify yourself as something, you kind of just go through with it.

In barbering, it's almost natural to go from barber to barbershop owner — that's always been the dream. I opened my first shop at 20. A few years later I opened Drive In on the south side: haircut and car wash at the same time, which I think was the first of its kind in Canada. It went viral on TikTok. Two years after that, we opened the west side. From being too broke to afford a haircut to owning my own shops — that's how it started.

How did the Drive In concept come about?

When I was running my first shop, we got it to 10 barbers. Sometimes there'd be 10 clients in the chair and 10 more waiting, and that alone was already 20 cars parked outside. I thought, there's no added friction to washing their cars, they're already there. All we need is a yes from the client and we'd almost double our revenue. It was a no-brainer. I found a new location that had a detail bay and retail space, and I said, let's do it.

Culture Comes First

What sets Drive In apart?

We built up a real brand with the south side. People knew us, but it was too far. When we opened the west side, it wasn't like starting from scratch — people already knew who we were, and suddenly we were closer. This location does really well on walk-ins and new clients, with a lot of different businesses around here and a lot of people driving by.

Beyond location, we care about the consultation. We're not the cheapest haircut, but we take our time. You don't walk in, get the most basic cut, and walk out. We actually listen to what you need.

What do you look for when hiring barbers?

Culture is our number one priority. We don't care if a barber is the best or the busiest. If they don't vibe with the team, there's no spot for them here. That's what we value most.

What to Try?

What are the service to know about right now?

Our services are either a haircut or a haircut with a beard. Right now, all the teenagers are getting the blowout taper. We do about 50 of those a day. We specialize in it because a lot of barbers don't know how to do it properly, and we do. Mullets and flows are trending too — longer in the back, more relaxed.

Any promotions coming up?

Check the Drive In Barbershop website for something called Cuts for Content. If you're willing to let us record you, you can get a free cut. It's on and off depending on when we need content, but it's worth checking before you come in. For us it's simple: we get the content, the review, and the experience, and you get a free sample of what we can do. Lifetime value is worth way more than one free cut.

West Side—Finally

What do you enjoy most about this location?

People ask me which location is my favourite. It's almost like picking a kid. But I love the west side clients. A lot of them come from St. Albert, and I'm just grateful we're able to expand with Edmonton's support. I live on the west side too, so this one feels close to home. As long as people keep showing up, we'll keep opening. St. Albert, Sherwood Park, the north side — we'll see.

How have you connected with businesses in the area?

We talk to our neighbours a lot — Meat the Bun, Swan Pizza, Ricky's. A bunch of people from Sleep Country come in for haircuts. We go out for lunch, drop off free haircut coupons, and make videos together. We did one at Cactus Club and one at Earls. The Cactus Club video went viral — just a point-of-view of a barber dropping off cards. We try to collaborate because we know their customers are already in the area, so it's easy to stop in for a haircut while you're already here.

What do you want first-timers to know?

There's no risk. If you don't know exactly what you want when you walk in, that's fine. We take our time on the consultation, and there's no pressure. And if you don't like your haircut, we refund you and cover the next cut. We never want to give someone a haircut they leave unhappy with. We have team meetings where we talk about going to bad barbershops growing up and the damage a bad cut does. We remind our barbers: you have control over someone's next two weeks. Make them the best two weeks, not the worst.

These days Drive In has two Edmonton locations and around 20 barbers, and it's still built on the same idea it started with. If you're on this side of the city, the west side shop is the one to try. Book online or walk in, ask about the blowout taper, and check the website for Cuts for Content before you go.