Saying goodbye to Sonny's: Residents share memories of beloved burger joint

Sonny’s Restaurant is now just a memory for many in Waterloo Region.

The iconic Waterloo landmark, which opened in 1965, was torn down on Monday.

The Weber Street property went up for sale in May 2022. The asking price was just shy of $3 million and the ad said the "business generates serious profits and pays $72,000/year net rent."

At the time, the owner told CTV News that he wanted to retire and hoped it wouldn’t be the end for the beloved burger joint.

Sonny's Restaurant in Waterloo.

Conestoga College purchased the property, which is adjacent to their Waterloo campus, in August 2022.

The restaurant closed around the same time and never reopened.

Demolition of the former Sonny's Restaurant in Waterloo on Jan. 29, 2024. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

In an email to CTV News, the school said: “plans are underway for an expansion of the Waterloo campus and the college will share details over the coming weeks.”

The selling price for the property has not been shared.

'Lots of great memories'

For many people in Waterloo Region, Sonny’s was a staple.

Luis Cruz has worked right next door to the restaurant for 10 years. When Sonny’s was open, Cruz and other staff members at Economy Lube visited several times a week for lunch.

“The burgers were good, the pickle spears were good and their fish and chips – awesome. You should have seen the lineup on Good Friday,” Cruz recalled. “It sucks they had to go already and now I have to walk somewhere else to get food.”

He was hoping someone would save Sonny’s.

“I was surprised. I was like: ‘Really?’ I thought somebody would have bought it to do something with it, to keep the name going, like the old owner did,” Cruz said. “I thought maybe since [Conestoga College] has a culinary school over there, I thought maybe they were going to expand [it] and maybe make a little restaurant over here.”

Inside Sonny's restaurant in Waterloo.

Jay Taylor, the co-owner of Morty’s Pub a few blocks over in Waterloo, called Sonny’s an iconic restaurant and landmark in the city.

“It’s really sad to see Sonny’s go,” he said. “Places like Sonny’s give flavour to the community and makes Waterloo Region special. A lot of people have a lot of memories [there].”

Taylor said he’ll always remember the late nights at Sonny’s.

“We’d close here [at Morty’s] and go over there, grab a burger, grab some fish and chips. It was just a wonderful place with lots of great memories,” he added. “Sonny’s was always a great place.”

Crews tear down what remains of Sonny's Restaurant in Waterloo with Conestoga College seen in the background on Jan. 31, 2024.

Remembering Sonny’s

Sonny’s Restaurant still lives on in the heart Trevor Martin.

“I’ve been known to drop in there late at night in the past, around midnight,” he recalled laughing. “It was one of the first fast-food restaurants, or establishments, in Kitchener-Waterloo. It’s been around for a very long time. People would go there late at night because there were no other options back in the day. There was no McDonald’s. There was no A&W. People hung out there after they went out at night, Friday night, Saturday nights, they’re done dancing or roller skating, they would go over there and get some burgers and onions rings.”

Sonny's is located 256 Weber St. N. in Waterloo. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

Martin grew up close to Elmira and while he didn’t visit until he was a teen, he often heard his parents reminiscing about Sonny’s Restaurant.

“When they were younger, that was one of the few places to go late at night. That was a place they had very fond memories of,” he said.

Martin is now a digital artist who goes professionally by the name Trevor Clare. He said Sonny’s was one of the local landmarks that inspired his 2023 book “Art of Nostalgia.”

“There’s not a lot of places left in the city that convey that kind of old 60s nostalgia,” he explained. “I’m trying to capture the memories, I’m trying to keep those memories alive. I think it’s important for us as a city to celebrate these places and not let them slip under the radar because these are the sorts of places that really bring the community together in ways that not a lot of other places can.”

Martin went out and took photos of Sonny’s before it went up for sale and, from that, he digitally painted the restaurant.

Sonny's in Waterloo in artwork by Trevor Clare. (Submitted/Trevor Clare)

“There’s been a lot of feedback, which has been really interesting. I’ve learned a lot about the city, but especially about Sonny’s and the history there. Just how many people have a real close connection to Sonny’s and are really sad that it’s disappearing.”

The Weston’s Bread sign, Walper Hotel, Far Out Flicks and Forwell Super Variety are just a few of the other local landmarks featured in the book.

Trevor Clare stands outside Jimmy's Lunch with his artwork. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)

“Change is inevitable,” said Martin. “That can be a good thing, because I think we need change. But at the same time, I think it’s a little unfortunate that we’re losing some of these hidden gems and spots in Kitchener-Waterloo that have meant so much to our city.”

Click below to see photos from before and during the Sonny's demolition.