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June 17 was a terrible day for John Vink. The restaurant he’d been frequenting weekly for nearly three decades had suddenly shuttered the majority of its outposts.
“I was like, ‘What am I going to do on Wednesdays if I can’t get the sandwich?,’” the retired software engineer said. “So I was forced to buy (the restaurant).”
Vink never thought he’d end up in the restaurant industry – especially four years into retirement. But his love for Armadillo Willy’s Pit-Smoked Boneless Chicken Sandwich with fresh jalapenos led him to reopen the barbecue chain’s Sunnyvale spot, with negotiations in the works for the Blossom Hill location.
Armadillo Willy’s, which was founded in 1983 in Cupertino, abruptly closed three of its four restaurants in June, citing a post-pandemic reduction in sales. Its final remaining location exists in San Mateo.
But on Thursday, Sept. 18, Vink will officially reopen Armadillo Willy’s Sunnyvale store as Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli. While New York-style deli items have been added to the menu, the barbecue recipes have remained untouched – and former Armadillo Willy’s customers can expect familiar faces.
“95% of our staff are all former Armadillo Willy’s employees,” said Ousmane Barry, president and general manager of Empire Armadillo.
Barry was the general manager of Armadillo Willy’s Santa Clara for six years, and has added two new dessert items to the menu: New York-style cheesecake and banana pudding ($6.49-$7.49). Fans of Magnolia Bakery may recognize the taste – Barry worked at Magnolia Bakery when it was just one location and continued with the company for a decade.
Other new menu items include deli sandwiches, such as pastrami, corned beef, Fresser (corned beef and pastrami), Reuben and French dip ($17.99-$19.49). Matzo ball soup is another new addition to the menu ($6.49-$15.49). Empire Armadillo’s executive chef is Jerzy Alanis, who has worked for Armadillo Willy’s for 29 years, since the age of 15, and previously was the assistant manager at Armadillo Willy’s Santa Clara.
“We strive for the best food,” Vink said. “We’re trying some new dishes and we want everyone’s feedback. We will refine the dishes to make them perfect.”
Like the menu, the ambiance at Empire Armadillo is relatively unchanged. It features new tabletops and a display of iPod and iPhone prototypes, among other tech items Vink has collected throughout his career. He recalls eating at the Armadillo Willy’s in Cupertino when he worked at Apple, the Los Altos location when he worked at Nest, the Sunnyvale restaurant when Google bought Nest and the Santa Clara location during the pandemic.
Ousmane said that during its soft opening phase, which began Aug. 28, Empire Armadillo has already received a lot of love from the community.
“I cannot tell you how many handshakes and hugs I get throughout the day,” he said, explaining Armadillo Willy’s Sunnyvale closed abruptly. “They didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye … so they were very sad, and now everybody is really excited that we are back.”
Empire Armadillo’s grand opening on Sept. 18 will include live music from The Highwater Blues Band from 4:30-8 p.m. and a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. Beginning at 11 a.m., the first 25 customers will receive a free side dish, such as spicy peanut slaw, potato salad or a fresh-baked cornbread muffin, and so will the first 25 customers at 5 p.m.
Vink is open to the idea of buying other shuttered Armadillo Willy’s locations “if more opportunities came forward that were good,” he said, but will first assess how well Sunnyvale and Blossom Hill perform.
When asked what he aims to achieve with Empire Armadillo, Vink said: “The goal was to save my sandwich.”
Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli, 161 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; 669-249-7080, Instagram: @empirearmadillo. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Dang, a beacon of good news amongst all of the bad happening. I know what I’m having tonight for dinner!