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The call he was waiting for was from his bank to see if he qualified for financing in which he would buy out his old partner Doug White and become the sole proprietor of the eatery.

White, who Warr said convinced him to get into the restaurant business after working in the Huntsville service industry for some time, wanted out after three years owning the eatery.

“I’m not sure,â€� Warr said when asked if the restaurant would have closed if he hadn’t got the financing. “It could have happened.â€�

The call came and he indeed got the financial banking to become the owner of the old station restaurant.

“I was thrilled,� he said, with a slight smile at the memory. “The staff were happy too … we knew it was a place that was going to happen, and it was going to pick up.�

He was right about The Old Station’s future.

It has been four decades since Warr and White took the plunge and bought the business, and it continues to serve a dedicated clientele after all these years. 

The site was a former gas station known as The Uptown Service Station. This business gave way to what would become the first restaurant on the site, the Garden Café, which opened in 1979. In 1984, the restaurant became the Old Station Chicken and Ribs until the partners bought the eatery in 1985 and named it simply The Old Station restaurant.

To commemorate the birth of The Old Station restaurant, the business is celebrating its 40th anniversary this coming Sunday.

Warr’s son Owen Warr, who cut his teeth in the restaurant business as a 12-year-old bus boy, is the current owner of The Old Station. He said there are plans for the daylong celebrations.

“We’re going to have some fun decorations, live music from 2 to 5 p.m. We still have all the old menus are all the original cut, memorabilia from when my dad first opened it up,� he said.

Like his father, Owen Warr admitted he has a pride in The Old Station restaurant, which he purchased from his father in 2018.

“My dad taught me at a young age that hard work can pay off. I don’t want to be the son of the owner kind of thing. So because I grinded pretty hard here, actually very hard over the years and I worked as a busboy, dishwasher, prep cook, cooked on a line to, serving, bartending and supervising.â€�

Over the years, there have been additions to the building, and upgrades to maintain the integrity of the building.

An addition was added to the building in 2002, which now holds the restaurants bar area. The back portion of the restaurant is also an addition, which holds the washrooms and part of the kitchen.

A wraparound patio was added to the restaurant with views of the main street and is shaded by large mature trees.

Today, the business employs around 30 people during the peak summer season many of whom will be gathered with family, friends and longtime customers on June 23 to celebration four decades of service in Bracebridge.

For more information on the anniversary, visit or