Popular Cambridge restaurant revamped under Old Marina owners

A pair of familiar faces have emerged as the new owners of a Cambridge restaurant.

Mike Napier and Joel Cook owned the Old Marina Restaurant in Puslinch before it was destroyed by fire in 2022.

Now the pair have taken on a new venture – revamping Ernie’s Roadhouse in Hespeler.

In the nearly two years since the Old Marina burned down, the thought of getting back into the industry remained on the duo’s minds. Then, a listing for Ernie’s popped up.

“We both had seen it by ourselves and then decided to come for lunch and saw what downtown had become versus what it was 10 to 15 years ago,” Napier said.

He sees a lot of potential in the location given a residential development is being built across the street, as well as other restaurants opening up nearby.

“It’s really up and coming, we’re excited,” Napier added.

The new space has touches from their Old Marina roots – from paddles, to white-painted walls and perch on the menu.

“Our goal was to kind of take what we have from the Marina and take the best of what Ernie’s had to offer and blend them together,” explained Napier.

They’ve also blended staff members from both restaurant worlds.

“Yes, we’ve had quite a few of our former employees at the Marina reach out with interests of jobs. And it’s been great that we’ve been able to embrace that,” Napier said.

Ernie’s Roadhouse reopened on Jan. 31, but over in Puslinch the work on the Marina continues.

“We know the Marina will take at least a couple more years. So at that point, we’ll be able to get this established and then Joel, my partner, will jump back towards the Marina because he’s the mastermind behind that operation.”

It’s a sign that as they move ahead with their new venture, it is by no means out with the old and in with the new.