OAK PARK, MI – As a staple of Oak Park since 1955, Ernie’s Market has been dishing up delectable and generously-sized sandwiches for decades. Today, the City of Oak Park is proud to announce that Ernie’s Market is the first restaurant in the City to open up an outdoor dining area.

After completing a site development plan and turning in their outdoor dining application in May, the Ernie’s Market team, led by proprietor and chief sandwich-maker Ernie Hassan, began work on a quaint and charming outdoor dining area on the property, immediately adjacent to the customer entrance. Now, where there once was an empty field of asphalt, there are two picnic tables with umbrellas surrounded by metal flower troughs; overlooking the outdoor dining area, a mural.

“Ernie and his wife Lois have been great community partners in Oak Park. We are delighted that they have created a beautiful dining patio to serve their patrons and become the trailblazer to open the first outdoor dining area in our city,” said Oak Park Economic Development and Communications Director Kim Marrone. “We hope this is the first of many in our community.”

Ernie has been a living legend in Oak Park for a long time, serving up not only sandwiches in his delightful deli, but smiles, too. He’s often heard greeting customers with a “Hey, Baby!” while sharing a handful of Hershey Kisses. Recently, Ernie’s Market has received local, statewide, and national accolades for their winning sandwich formula, including being named Best Sub Shop by Metro Times, Absolute Best Sandwich in Michigan by MSN.com, and Best Cheap Eats in America by GoBankingRates.com.

Members of the public and media are invited to join Ernie, staff members, Oak Park officials, and State Representative Robert Wittenberg at a ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday, July 9 at 11:00am at Ernie’s Market, located at 8500 Capital Street, Oak Park, MI 48237 to celebrate the opening of the new outdoor dining area.

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About:
Situated within the southeast corner of Oakland County, the City of Oak Park has a long history of being an integral, inner-ring suburb of Detroit. With approximately 30,000 residents in 5.16 square miles, we pride ourselves on the richness of our cultural diversity and our safe, secure neighborhoods.

Contact:
Colton Dale
City of Oak Park
Community Engagement and Development Specialist
(248) 691-7589
cdale@oakparkmi.gov