our story

Our restaurant journey began in 2013 when Southside, Chattanooga was a burgeoning neighborhood. Our original vision, Flying Squirrel, was a dynamic, hyper-seasonal share plate concept that scratched our itch at that time and was truly unique in the area. During its early years, we talked often about doing a Chinese food concept as our second venture. 

At the ten-year mark, with growing families and a feeling that our hands were full with one restaurant, we made the radical (to us) decision to reboot the Squirrel as a completely new concept that spoke more to our current motivations. We schemed and planned for several months before making our intentions public and performing a dramatic 30-day reinvention of the space and menus. 

Enter Ernest Chinese, the spot we've been craving for years: American Chinese and Sichuan cuisine done right, flamboyant tiki drinks backed by a full bar, in a beautiful yet super comfortable atmosphere. It felt fitting to name the new concept after Co-Owner Dan's late pet cat, Ernest, a massive polydactyl tabby who lived on-site with Dan and was a fixture on the Squirrel patio. We reopened our doors in December of 2023.