New owner says he’ll keep things status quo, even the iconic sign

It is the end of an era and the start of another.

Ernie’s Coffee Shop, a well-known (even legendary) Sault diner since 1971, has been sold to a new owner.

The restaurant had been up for sale since 2017.

Ernie Febbraro opened Ernie’s at 13 Queen St. E. with wife Judy in 1971.

“It’s all of a sudden, after 40 years. Mom and dad have been with me right from the time I joined with him. And all of a sudden, it’s here,” said Ernie's Coffee Shop cook Chuck Febbraro, Ernie and Judy's son, speaking to SooToday Tuesday.

Chuck and wife Donna joined the Ernie’s Coffee Shop crew in 1976.

“It’s bittersweet. It’s been two generations of the same family running the business and now we have a new owner, but he wants to keep the name and the menu and everything the same," Chuck said.

John Armstrong, a 25-year-old Sault native who owned a restaurant in Toronto, has returned home to carry the Ernie’s Coffee Shop torch.

Ernie’s Coffee Shop's last day of business under the Febbraro banner will be Friday, Jan. 31.

“Unless I run out of food, we’ll close at 7 o’clock,” Chuck said.

“There’ve been so many people who we’ve met through the years. We’ve cooked for generations. When I first started I was just 18. Dad had his clientele, and grandparents were bringing in their grandchildren for Saturday breakfast. University students were coming home for the summer and they always stopped at Ernie’s because it became a tradition. There’ve been hundreds of customers who we’ve become friends with. We’ve been a piece of their lives.”

“Ernie’s is, and hopefully will continue to be, a family place. It’ll be like ‘Cheers,’ only with food,” Chuck said.

Ernie and Judy Febbraro are now in their early 80s, Chuck and Donna in their early 60s, Chuck stating it’s now time to step back.

Originally, the restaurant was open for six and a half days a week, then open Tuesdays through Saturdays for the last 30 years, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“This is a young person’s game,” said Chuck of new owner John Armstrong, confident the restaurant will be in good hands.

“We're going to be showing him all our recipes...we like to call it a third generation. Everything looks really, really positive, and Ernie’s should continue to feed a lot of people in the Sault for a long time.”

“From my understanding a lot of things will be status quo. The Ernie’s Coffee Shop sign is still going to be there.”

Chuck said he will keep dropping by to say hello to old customers.

“I’ll come down and talk to the guys I talk to every morning. There’s a lot of great people we talk to.”

“I’ve been cooking all my life,” said new owner John Armstrong.

“I want to keep the Ernie’s legend alive.”

“I came back to the Sault for friends and family, and this is the only type of business I can see myself doing, and I want to keep this local landmark alive. I’ve been coming to Ernie’s forever,” Armstrong said, confirming everything, including the outdoor Ernie’s Coffee Shop sign, will remain.

Will he be adding any new twists of his own?

“No, nothing crazy. I’m just going to be doing down home cooked food, the daily specials will be there. You’re not going to see things with every bell and whistle on the plate. It’s going to be properly cooked homemade food,” Armstrong said.

“I’ve been here the past two weeks, in the kitchen, they’re showing me what they do and how they do it. They’ve been nothing but really positive,” said Armstrong of the Febbraro family.

Armstrong said he is not yet certain when Ernie's Coffee Shop will officially open under his ownership, but stated “it’ll be as soon as possible. It won’t be closed for long. I don’t want to disrupt anyone’s regular routines and schedules.”

Armstrong said “I’ll keep the existing hours of operation. I’ll only be providing more. I will not be taking anything away.”