SNOW HILL – As the 2016 season approaches, a number of new and existing Ocean City businesses presented the county’s board of license commissioners with plans to upgrade their facilities this week.
On Wednesday, the board approved renovation or expansion plans for six area eateries. Two of those, Squarz Pizza and the Crabcake Factory Seafood House, would be new. Krista Brooks of the Crabcake Factory said the new establishment, located at 120th Street, would be modeled after the restaurant’s Delaware location.
“It’s going to be more of a family atmosphere with bigger tables,” she said.
Ideally, the restaurant, which is taking over the space once held by Blockbuster, will open Memorial Day weekend, according to Brooks. It will feature at least 80 seats and a wraparound deck. Patrons not interested in dining in will be able to get food to-go from a carryout window.
“Right now it’s a pile of rubble,” she said. “We just got the plumbing in, and now we’re going to lay the concrete floors.”
Slightly further north, former Baltimore restauranteur Darren Palitti is working on Squarz Pizza. The board quickly granted his request for a Class B seven-day license. The 85-seat restaurant will be focused on pizza.
“This is intended to be a family operation, not a nightclub,” Mark Cropper, Palitti’s attorney, assured the board.
During Wednesday’s session the board also approved renovation requests from Captain’s Galley, now known as the Ocean City Fish Company, Hooter’s of West Ocean City, Bad Monkey and Hooked.
At Hooter’s, longtime director of operations Matthew Ortt was given permission to expand the facility’s bar to 37 seats, the size it was when Bull on the Beach occupied the space.
At Bad Monkey, Kevin Myers was given permission to expand his hours and service slightly. Alcohol can now be sold on the first floor of the restaurant and a portion of the second floor will be allowed to remain open until 10:30 p.m. The approved changes came in spite of a letter of opposition from representatives of the Oasis condominium, which has previously expressed concerns before the board about the establishment.
Joe Moore, the restaurant’s attorney, said he was surprised the condo’s board had submitted a letter of opposition. He said many of the condo’s residents patronized Bad Monkey.
“We don’t believe our request is going to effect the Oasis,” he said.
The board of license commissioners gave the group representing the Ocean City Fish Company permission to add a bar to the restaurant’s deck, something attorney Hugh Cropper said would make the area more appealing to customers.
“This’ll give people a view of the boats,” he said.
He stressed that in spite of the new bar the facility would continue to put a major emphasis on food.
“Our focus is and was seafood,” Cropper said.
In Ocean City, Hooked proprietor John Kevin Frey was granted approval for a new bar. He said he’d be converting the restaurant’s existing six-seat bar into a raw bar and would replace some tables with a 14-seat bar.
“I believe this will help the flow of the restaurant and give our guests a more intimate experience,” Frey said.