OCEAN CITY – General’s Kitchen tradition will stay alive in the former Galaxy 66 beneath the Skye Bar.
General’s Kitchen had been operating out of Beachmark Motel on 74th Street and Coastal Hwy. since the early 1980’s. In August, the property owner informed owner Robert Noll his lease, which expired on Dec. 31, was not going to be renewed. It has since been announced the Coach’s Corner, which was previously located on 60th Street, will take its place.
Noll had been in talks with several sites, including J/R’s Ribs, Hall’s Restaurant, 67th Street Town Center, among a few others, but none of the agreements made it to the end until Noll met up with Roger Cebula of Galaxy 66.
“He was interested in operating a joint venture there that we have been working on together since before Christmas in getting the paperwork and terms drawn up. We just got all that finally approved and signed, so Galaxy 66 will be the home of the new General’s Kitchen,” Noll said.
Renovations are being focused on in the kitchen as Noll wants to be open by the beginning of March. For the most part, the dining room will remain the same but General’s Kitchen will bring in some of their own casual touches, such as taking orders by hand and hanging them in the kitchen window, paper napkins and plastic cups and menus on the table.
“The Galaxy has its own kitchen from the Skye Bar but the setup of the Galaxy kitchen is not conducive to breakfast and lunch, so all of the cook line will be removed and I am in the process now with Chesapeake Equipment in Cambridge somewhere in the neighborhood of over $80,000 to purchase all new kitchen equipment,” Noll said.
The space will be a new look for General’s Kitchen as Galaxy 66 was a modern contemporary style that served fine dining compared to the former General’s Kitchen that had a much more comfortable casual feel.
“It will be step by step. I want to get the kitchen up and running first,” Noll said.
Galaxy 66’s dining room included a bar area, which will remain except General’s Kitchen will not serve alcohol. Instead, Noll will turn the bar into a diner counter and possibly a juice bar.
Noll is excited over the additional seating. The former General’s Kitchen sat 84 guests while the new location can seat 150 guests. Noll hopes an increase in seating will now ease the wait time for patrons.
“We are looking at expanding the lunch menu by perhaps adding some wraps and a soup and sandwich special in the summertime. I am trying to build up the lunch business a little bit and give people a little more of a menu to pick from,” Noll added.
As done in the past, General’s Kitchen will initially be open five days, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Starting May 1, it will be closed only on Wednesdays and come Memorial Day General’s Kitchen will be open seven days.
General’s Kitchen carries over 45 years of a tradition in Ocean City. Noll’s stepfather, Gus Bollas and his first wife, Mary Bollas, opened the restaurant in the George Washington Hotel on 10th Street and the Boardwalk where it received its name in honor of General George Washington.
When there was discussion of demolishing the hotel, General’s Kitchen moved to the Beachmark Hotel on 74th Street
Bollas was remarried to Noll’s mother, Angela Bollas, who took over the restaurant when he passed away in April of 2000, and when she passed away this past December the family business was passed onto Noll.