The property best remembered as Melvin’s Steakhouse had its beginning in 1946 when William Ruark built a restaurant and rooming house on the corner of N. 1st Street and Philadelphia Avenue. Originally named The Avenue Hotel and Restaurant but known to locals as Ruark’s, the building was purchased at an auction by Dirk Quillin in the early 1950s. He ran the restaurant for several years but later sold it to the Melvin family. The name was changed to Melvin’s Steak House in 1961.
Famous for good food and low prices, Melvin’s was an Ocean City tradition for over 45 years. Summer visitors lined up every evening to enjoy an affordable dinner (pictured is an ad from the Beachcomber newspaper circa 1964) before spending an evening on the Boardwalk.
Bill Gibbs Jr. bought the restaurant in 2006 and eventually leased it to a local brew pub. The building suffered a devastating fire in February 2015 and was subsequently razed. Today the site is a parking lot for the de Lazy Lizard.
Photo from Bunk Mann’s collection