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Ernie’s Bar-B-Q, a Fort Lauderdale institution that opened in 1957 as “Dirty Ernie’s” bar and became renowned for its conch chowder and barbecued pork on thick Bimini bread, has closed after being sold.

A Monday night post on the restaurant’s Facebook page said, “Unfortunately Ernie’s is officially closed! The doors were locked as of this past Saturday.”

A handwritten sign posted on the door Monday read, “Closed for repairs.” Orange traffic cones blocked the parking lot entrance at 1843 S. Federal Highway. Ernie’s owner, Frank “Butch” Samp, who also owns the Floridian Restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard, said Tuesday that he has sold the property to Anthony Bruno, owner of Anthony’s Runway 84 restaurant and founder of the Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza chain.

Samp said he did not know Bruno’s plans. Bruno could not be reached for comment, despite phone messages left at his corporate headquarters and Runway 84. It is unclear if the site will remain a restaurant or be redeveloped.

“I’ve shut down two of the oldest [restaurants] in town: Tina’s [Spaghetti House] and Ernie’s,” said Samp, who bought Ernie’s in 1997. “Ernie’s made it to 60 years. It was a good run.”

The restaurant had three state health inspections this year, one triggered by a complaint, and was cited for numerous “high-priority violations” in January and February, including improper cooling and storage of housemade barbecue sauce, and “live, small flying insects” in the kitchen, food preparation area and bar. The restaurant took corrective action, and inspectors allowed it to remain open.

The restaurant, located near Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, has been popular with locals and tourists alike for generations. Ernie’s was known for its rooftop patio, live music and quirky libertarian expressions on the walls that railed against taxation and international bankers, vestiges of founding owner Ernie Siebert.

“Money is nothing more than controlled digits,” one slogan read.

Siebert, who sold the restaurant in 1976, reputedly kept a $250,000 stock of liquor in Bimini and would make rum-running boat trips to restock Dirty Ernie’s to avoid paying taxes, according to local legend.

A sign that read, "Closed for repairs" was taped to the front door at Ernie's Bar-B-Q in Fort Laudderale. (Mike Mayo / southflorida.com)
The bar was renamed Ernie’s Booze and Bar-B-Q under owner David Klawsky, until Samp’s group bought it in 1997. In 1996, Samp bought Tina's Spaghetti House nearby. That restaurant closed a few years later, after 47 years.

"I like to save the old restaurants," Samp told the Sun Sentinel when he bought Ernie’s. "I like the history that comes with them. You get 50 years of stories."

Longtime customers grieved the restaurant's demise on its Facebook page Tuesday. “Heartbroken to hear this,” Debra Balasky Taylor wrote. “A huge loss in Fort Lauderdale’s history.”

Bill Bierbower wrote: “Leave a legacy and publish the conch chowder recipe.”

For its last two decades, Samp kept the character of Ernie's restaurant intact. “We’re going to put a new dress on the old girl,” Samp said in 1997. “Most people don’t want to see the old places go down.”

On Tuesday, Samp greeted Fort Lauderdale power brokers such as developer Terry Stiles and taxi magnate Jesse Gaddis at his usual breakfast table at the Floridian. Samp, who has been battling health problems recently, said he got “a good price” and didn’t have second thoughts about selling Ernie’s.

“I hope you’re not going to sell this place,” Gaddis said about the Floridian.

“I can’t,” Samp said. “I need someplace to go in the morning.”