Konfucious Eats announces impending closure in McHenry Village. What happened?

The McHenry Village restaurant Konfucious Eats will close Aug. 30, its owner announced on Instagram on Tuesday.

“We tried our very best to stay open,” the post reads in part. “With the current economy and the outlook of how the restaurant industry has been [it wasn’t feasible].”

On July 8, owner Ernie Watkins announced on Instagram that he had to let several employees go in order to stay open, resulting in a loss of business hours.

Formerly open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30p.m. and opening back up between 4:30 to 10 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., the hours were cut to Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Watkins later posted in an Instagram story: “We are having issues with our credit card processing company so we will not be able to process credit cards.” The restaurant was reduced to cash, Venmo and Zelle payments.

In the latest post, Watkins wrote: “It was my dream to open this restaurant, and I can’t be more appreciative of the support from everyone, including friends and family. ... We hope to see as many of you as we can before our last day open.”

Konfucious Eats opened early February 2021 in the former Bauer’s 66½ Skillet & Grill location on the north east side of McHenry Village.

Before opening the restaurant, Watkins was a sushi chef, a food blogger, a pop-up vendor and a seller of take-home ramen kits.

In a roundabout way, the COVID-19 pandemic is to thank for the opening of Konfucious Eats restaurant. Typically, the opposite is said.

Watkins was head sushi chef at Umi Sushi on Sylvan Avenue when the pandemic hit, causing his hours to be cut. With his free time, he held a ramen pop-up event which sold out within a week of advertising tickets.

The stay-at-home order halted Watkins’ plans for a second event, however, ignited an idea for a different way to get his ramen in the bellies of eager customers. He began selling take-home ramen kits, which also sold out each time they were offered.

Then, the pandemic caused Watkins to be let go from his job at Umi Sushi.

Jobless and skillful, Watkins was approached by friend and fellow Modesto chef Tye Bauer, who was closing his McHenry Village restaurant to focus on his downtown gastropub.

When one door closed, another opened (well, the same door opened) when Watkins took the opportunity to take over the space.

This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM.