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The popular South Jersey burger joint named after a Saturday Night Live claymation character is being sold.
Mr. Bill's roadside burger grill is changing hands this month, but the new owner is expected to keep the iconic mainstay open, according to a Facebook post by the Camden County establishment's current owner.
Cheryl Ernst, 64, said that her last day serving customers at Mr. Bill’s is this Sunday. The burger stand has been operated by several different owners since the 1950s, and has always been a popular stop for Jersey Shore visitors.
"I’m very happy to say that I’ve entered into a sales contract with an incredible, very accomplished group that will carry on the beloved Mr. Bills reputation," she wrote on Facebook.
“I think Sunday will be my last day,” she told NJ Advance Media. “The sale is supposed to close by April 12," Ernst told NJ Advance Media.
Mr. Bill’s is on Route 73 in Winslow Township, about a mile from the Atlantic City Expressway.
A memorable 25-foot landmark still stands tall at the Winslow eatery: a steel replica of a grinning Mr. Bill, clad in a bright yellow shirt, blue pants with suspenders and a straw hat -- and more recently a COVID-19 mask.
Ernst and her late husband, John, reopened Mr. Bill’s about five years ago after it went out of business for three years.
NJ.com reported that the couple's purchase revived fond memories for John Ernst, 75, who insisted his parents stop there for homemade ice cream and tasty burgers en route to Atlantic City when he was growing up in northeast Philadelphia.
John Ernst died on Oct. 29, 2020, of natural causes, his wife wrote.
Other popular menu items include Chicago-style hot dogs, freshly-cut fries and ham-pork roll sandwiches.
Ernst said she sold Mr. Bill’s to a Delaware Valley ice cream and burger restaurant group and their plan is to carry on the beloved Mr. Bill’s reputation, according to NJ.com, adding: “People are coming in. They can’t hug because of COVID, but they are thanking John and I for bringing it back to life.”
Ernst and her husband knew nothing about the restaurant business when they bought Mr. Bill's at auction.They both had retired as administrators at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Pemberton, Burlington County.
“John said, ‘If I can run a hospital, I can run a restaurant,’” she told NJ.com “I know people and remember what they want to eat. It’s like down home family.”
Mr. Bill's has 45 tables inside.
Ernst said that the 44-seat outdoor pavilion and takeout windows helped them thrive during the coronavirus pandemic, despite statewide social-distancing restrictions.
"The Mr. Bill Show" got its start on SNL as a series Super 8 film sent in response to the television show's request for home movies during its first season.
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