History of the Sherwood

The Sherwood Inn Restaurant was opened February 4, 1961, primarily to attract customers to the Sherwood Motel next door. The restaurant was built with a coffee shop and a Dining Room with it's own sliding door to separate it for large functions. The coffee shop had stools and a counter for single seating, and the Sherwood&'s famous booths along the bow window created a seating capacity of 37 in the coffee shop. The Dining Room had seating for 44 with a mural painted by Mr. Ernie Duce the owner of the building. He along with Mr. Peter Lucek and Mr. Paul Kuchma were the original partners of the Restaurant.

Charcoal steaks and ribs were the main featured entrees and the Sherwood was one of the first restaurants to use charcoal broilers. It's interesting to note that the restaurant had a fire in 1972 that was caused by the charcoal broiler. Back then automatic fire extinguishers were just starting to be installed and after the fire, the Sherwood was reopened in April of 1972 with new equipment and a new fire extinguishing system.

In 1974 the Nottingham Room was built, and the Sherwood was licensed by the LLBO. It was at this time, that the name of the restaurant was changed to the Sherwood Restaurant and Tavern. The banquet room was licensed for 171 people and weddings became a main feature at the Sherwood.

As part of being licensed by the LLBO, the stools in the coffee shop were removed to put in a Bar separation. Although it was never the intent to be just a bar, the LLBO insisted that the stools be removed. Further renovations were also made to the building, moving the original washrooms from the main floor to their present location downstairs. With the addition of the Nottingham room, and increase in customers, the move and expansion of the facilities was a necessity.

Along with the construction of the Nottingham room, the house at 8 Locks Road, behind the Sherwood, was purchased and torn down to enlarge the parking area. Around this same time sewers finally came to Locks Road and a main sewer was put in allowing the original septic system to be removed and covered with pavement to make the parking lot behind the Sherwood the size it is today.

April 1975 marked the beginning of Sunday Smorgasbord at the Sherwood. Since the banquet room was mostly used for banquets Monday to Saturday, it sat empty most Sundays. Still running in present day, the Sunday Smorgasbord has featured many different varieties of food over the years, and in Sherwood tradition, always in quantities worthy of Robin Hood and his merry men.

January 1979 marked a changing of the guard for the Sherwood as Dennis Duce, son builder Ernest, purchased the shares of the operating partners and took over control of the Sherwood. Starting fresh, Dennis introduced the Sunday Brunch in March of 1979, the first Sunday Brunch in Brantford. Brunch and Smorgasbord on Sundays have become a family affair and continue to be very busy at the Sherwood to this day.

In 1981, Dennis with the help of his father Ernest, built an addition on the Sherwood, adding 70 seats to the Dining room and tripling the size of the kitchen. During this same time the "Castle Room", a small banquet facility, was built in the basement of the new addition. This Room had a Mural of a Castle, painted by Mr. Ernest Duce, and was licensed for 36 people. In recent years, the Castle Room has been closed to customers.

In 1982 with the enlarged kitchen facility the Sherwood began it’s catering operation. Starting with a few weddings, the catering department of the Sherwood is well known as far as Long Point for Beach Weddings (including for Dennis' own son), Waterdown for annual Fish Fry's, Simcoe for catering to the Travellodge Hotel, Paris to the former Adventures on the Grand for Sunday Brunch and catering to a variety of functions from picnics to full course weddings.

In present day, Sherwood Catering is the prefered caterer for the Hamilton Harbour Queen, which operates cruises in the city of Hamilton's beautiful harbourfront. The Sherwood has also catered the last 17 Lobsterfests at the Brantford and District Civic Center serving up to 1300 people. Believing that there is no event to big, or event to small, the Sherwood has also catered to Bay Street in downtown Toronto for Union Gas, and Strathroy for corporate holiday dinners,

In 1985 with growing demand for parking the Sherwood purchased 7 Locks road and tore down that house for more parking. This is the Parking lot across the road from the main parking lot and is behind the adjacent Garage and Service Center.

In 1995 the Sherwood added two wheel chair washrooms on the main floor and added a wheelchair ramp for easy access to the building. If only we knew what we know now the washrooms would never have been put downstairs in 1975!

In 1999 the Sherwood was completely renovated with new carpet, ceramic tile and a new design for the Nottingham Room, with 7 chandeliers and a drapery for the mural. A new menu was introduced in March of 2000 to get ready for the New Millennium.

On October 8th, 2003 the Sherwood was honoured as the FIRST recipient of the "Restaurant of the Year Award" at the First Annual Shining Star Tourism Awards Banquet. The "Shining Stars" award is a concept created by Tourism Brantford with the goal of the program to honour local businesses and individuals for their outstanding contribution to the tourism industry.

On June 2nd, 2006, Dennis along with the Sherwood was honoured by the Brantford Rotary Club with a Vocational Services Award. This award was presented to Dennis, and the Sherwood in recognition of their Vocational Excellence and Community Service.

The Duce family tradition for excellence and hard work that began in the Sherwood with Ernest Duce lives on in Ernest's son Dennis. Dennis' expertise lies in the culinary arts and his uncompromising attention to the details that make the visitor's dining or catering experience one that they will long remember.