Owen’s Pub proving year-round critics were wrong
It’s one thing to open in April and be thrilled with a packed house virtually for the rest of the summer, but it’s another thing altogether to be in the middle of January and still be attracting a bustling crowd for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
On weekends, one might even find their name being penned to a waiting list.
What in the hey-this-is-the-Wildwoods-in-winter is going on here?
“People scared us, saying there was no business in January and February, that we couldn’t stay open year round. Business has slowed but lunch is good, dinner is busy, the only difference is that most people are out of here by 9, and that’s OK,” said owner/chef Kevin Nagle. After the summer he had, getting out by 9 o’clock is a treat.
“There were days that I’d come back at 5 after taking a break after the lunch crowd died down, and I’d come walking up to see a line out the door. I’d rush back into the kitchen to make sure things were OK and it would be like that the rest of the night into early morning. I was doing 17 hours a day, getting out of here by 9 now is nice,” said Nagle, who runs the operation with partners Mike and T.J. Haldeman.
Kevin and Mike, who runs the bar at Owen’s, worked for T.J. at the Skyline Tavern in Chalfonte, Pa. until taking over the former Michalene O’Flynn’s on 17th Avenue in North Wildwood on April 22.
Kevin would spend time in the summer staying at Mike’s place on 12th Avenue, and they would walk the five blocks to O’Flynn’s, which is how they became familiar with it. When they heard it was for sale, they made their bid and got it.
“We had been thinking of buying a bar for seven or eight years, but never did we think we’d buy a bar at the Shore. It just never occurred to us, and then we heard this place was for sale. It’s worked out better than we ever could have expected, everything’s gone great. The people have welcomed us, and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure they’re happy with what we’re giving them,” Kevin said.
They gutted the building and upgraded everything. The only thing left from O’Flynn’s is the bar, which was upgraded and improved, and the arcade games, which make for fun, peaceful family dining.
Kevin is eating lunch at the bar recently while describing the physical changes that they made to the pub. “That (waitress stand) was just a little snack kitchen, and in the back we took out the game room and the hallway and made it a full kitchen, we put new bathrooms in, a fireplace, 15 TVs” and the etched glass divider that separates the bar from the 88-seat dining room, which has a festive look in the winter with the fireplace warming visitors in from the cold.
Families arrive as children quickly dash off to play arcade games, leaving their parents to try and remember how to have a pleasant conversation in peace.
“That’s exactly why we kept the games,” Kevin laughs. “All of our energy, all of our goals were to gear this for the family, that’s what it still is all about. We thought the area had great potential for that, and it’s turning out that way, especially in the winter. The prices are kept reasonable so families can afford to come in two or three times a week. That’s always been my philosophy, keep it reasonable.”
Presentation, however, doesn’t suffer. If Dad wants a steak, it comes on a dinner plate. If Junior wants chicken wings or a hoagie, it still comes on a dinner plate. No plastic baskets with sheets of waxed paper served here.
“That’s always driven me crazy, serving food in a plastic basket with a piece of paper, I just think it looks terrible. We serve on 12-inch dinner plates, everything is served on china. Presentation doesn’t have to suffer to serve affordable, good food,” he said.
“Then how can you serve steak and crab legs for $7.95?” he’s asked.
“Volume,” he said. “That’s how we do it, and it keeps everyone happy.”
The partners have overcome a lot of skepticism and negativism, and they continue now to make believers out of the locals, some of whom commented about adding yet another Irish-themed bar to the Wildwoods.
“Yeah, my fiancé (they’re getting married Feb. 1) heard that one. She was in line somewhere and someone said, ‘Just what we need, another Irish pub,’ but we don’t go heavy on the Irish theme, I mean, if you look around, we don’t have anything on the walls that’s Irish. It’s more that people see our name and assume it’s like that. If anything, it’s a friendly pub that’s a comfortable place to bring the whole family,” Kevin said.
It also runs a popular happy hour, which attracts people to the bar before they request a table for dinner.
“Our average age is about 33, 34 years old. We don’t get a lot of 21-year-olds here, so it’s never a rowdy group. As I said, it’s all geared toward making families happy,” he said.
An interesting development is how locals have either recently found out about the pub, or how some are still discovering it, making the January and February naysayers eat their words while the customers eat one of Kevin’s nightly specials, like this past Tuesday’s linguini with Italian sausage for $3. (That’s a 3, by the way, not a 13 with a number missing.)
“What happened with the locals is that a lot of them don’t go out to eat in the summer, so we were seeing a lot of new faces in October and November who continue to come back in today, and then they bring friends. Now we’re getting people coming over Stone Harbor and Avalon, which is nice. It’s busy but not as crowded and not as hectic as it is in summer,” Kevin said, giving many of us hope that it’s a long winter.
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed at
seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can
comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Owen’s Pub
119 E. 17th Street
North Wildwood 08260
729-7290
ON THE MENU
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily (open later on weekends)
Chef’s Favorites: Appetizers—Homemade Fried Crab Sticks served with Creole mustard sauce ($5.95); Crab Bisque ($3); French Onion ($3.50); and Chili ($3.95). Sandwiches—Italian Cheesesteak, topped with provolone, roasted red peppers, spinach, garlic Italian seasonings and sauce ($4.95), Charbroiled Greek Chicken Breast, marinated chicken served with roasted red peppers, feta cheese and romaine lettuce ($4.95); Crab Cake Sandwich ($5.95); Entrees (served with salad, vegetable and potato)—Sirloin Steak and Homemade Grilled Crab Cake ($10.95); Montreal Encrusted Steak, rolled in kosher salt, black pepper, garlic and crushed red pepper ($8.95); Blackened Grilled Salmon ($7.95); Shrimp and Chicken Parmesan, shrimp seasoned in a cornflake bread with a char-grilled chicken breast topped with homemade marinara, provolone, pecorino-romano cheese served over pasta ($9.95).
Specials (from 5 p.m. until closing): Sunday—Steak and crab legs, $7.95; Monday—Mini-cheesesteak*, $1.95; Tuesday—Pasta night (ravioli with meatballs, linguini with sausage, and more, changing weekly), $3; Wednesday—Wing night, 10 wings for $1.95; Thursday—Cheeseburger* night, $2.50. (*No charge for additions lettuce, tomato, fried onions, etc.)
Parking: Street parking
Capacity: 88
No reservations
No non-smoking area but two smoke filters in the ceiling keep the dining room’s air fresh.
Takeout: Entire menu available for takeout.
Cash only: There is an ATM machine on site
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed
at seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by
calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Check out his Cape Cuisine food blog