Charleston’s Marina Variety Store is set to reopen as Fin & Crab this month, with the “same smiling faces” returning as the business changes ownership.
Cindy and James Capps, who also own Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill in North Carolina, are now at the helm.
“Charleston has always been a second home. We honeymooned there and it’s been our happy place. Our restaurant in North Carolina is on the waterway in a marina and we were looking to grow. We really wanted to be on the waterway again,” Cindy Capps told What Now Charleston.
The duo aims to honor the Marina Variety Store’s legacy while giving it new life.
“The restaurant is so nostalgic for so many people. It’s more of a ‘let’s revive it and try to drive it forward into the future to make the business suitable for the future,’” she said.
Capps said she learned about the restaurant and began researching the infamous spot anchoring 9 Lockwood Drive for more than six decades.
“Once I learned more about the families [Altine and Ritter] who had founded the restaurant and the history, it all fell into place. My core values for my restaurant are so similar–we’re very family-oriented, we’re very team-oriented, we’re very community-oriented,” she said.
Capps continued, “I had the honor of meeting Richard Ritter. We’re hoping to pick his brain and get some old family recipes so we can have a Marina Variety Store section of the menu.”
The menu is not undergoing substantial changes, and many favorites will remain on the breakfast lineup. Lunch and dinner, however, may look a little different. The team is also switching things up by moving away from peanut oil in the kitchen.
“We have the same kitchen staff. Earl Felder, who’s been cooking the pancakes and serving up breakfast, is still on our team. It’s still Earl’s pancakes and waffles. If you come for Georgia hashbrowns or the Lowcountry hashbrowns, it’s still on the menu,” Capps said. “Lunch and dinner, we have several different menu items, but not really because it’s still a seafood restaurant.”
The name “Fin & Crab” comes from the seafood staples featured on the menu.
“I have a lot of crab recipes on the menu. We have the crab dip. We have crab soup. We have crab cakes, they have no bread filler. We have an appetizer that is blue crab claws sauteed in garlic buttery red pepper flakes. We have crab legs we’ll bring back,” she said.
The menu will also include salmon, fish stew, steaks and handhelds such as the shrimp burger, cheeseburger and chicken sandwich. All dishes are made in house using locally sourced ingredients.
The restaurant’s interior has seen minor updates and a refreshing look, but Capps plans to add large photos on the walls honoring previous owners and the location’s 60-year history.
She also hopes to add a bar and a relaxed lounge on the upper level.
In the meantime, Salty Mike’s, the dive bar beneath the restaurant, will keep its name. It has a fresh coat of paint, refelted pool tables and a big upgrade.
“Everything about Salty Mike’s, is still Salty Mike’s,” Capps said. “The most exciting thing is Salty Mike’s now has bathrooms. And, in preparation for the Riverwalk the city is working on, that side of the building now has a garage door that opens up. If you’re walking along the Riverwalk, you’ll have that open air into the bar.”
Capps is eager to reopen and reassures regulars the Marina Variety Store will keep its character.
“I’m excited about getting open and welcoming people back in, and letting them see that, yes, the building got a facelift. Yes, the lunch and dinner menu got a facelift. Certainly, there are also longer-term visions and goals, but the same team is here. The same vibe is here,” she said.
Fin & Crab will officially debut once they pass the final inspection.
