Jon and Christopher Ruggiero have bought the Bobcat Café & Brewery in Bristol from chef-owners Erin and Sanderson Wheeler for the asking price of $165,000. There will be no break in service. After more than 16 years at the Bobcat, the Wheelers served their final meals on Sunday at the 5 Main Street restaurant, and the Ruggieros plan to open at 4 p.m. on Wednesday as usual.
The Bobcat opened in 2002 under the leadership of longtime local restaurateur Robert Fuller, using a community-supported financing model with $5,000 in start-up loans from each of 32 supporters. The Wheelers bought the restaurant in 2008 in partnership with their mentor, the late Michel Mahe; the couple took full ownership in 2015, according to Erin.
The Bobcat’s deep roots in the community appealed to the Ruggiero brothers, said Jon, 48. He and Christopher are originally from Massachusetts, but both moved to Vermont over the past few years.
“Chris and I have been exploring going into business together for a long time,” Jon said.
Jon, who works full time in the software industry, lives in South Duxbury. Christopher, 45, has a degree in hotel and restaurant management and a career in hospitality, including cooking in kitchens, his brother said. He lives in Ferrisburgh and will work on-site while Jon focuses on administrative tasks.
The Ruggieros have offered jobs to all current staff members. They plan to continue the brewpub aspect of the business and the menu’s emphasis on “contemporary comfort food,” Jon said.
Erin, 44, said she and her 42-year-old husband were ready for a change: “It was never my plan to do this forever.” She expects Sanderson will stay in the restaurant sector but said she is interested in exploring the agricultural side of the food system, starting with a job at a local nursery.
Correction: February 19, 2025: An earlier version of this story misstated the ages of the Ruggieros.
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2025.
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