Fins Hospitality Group gearing up for two openings in Bethany and Lewes
Jeff Neiburg
The Marketplace at Sea Colony shopping center — tucked behind the neighboring Cottage Cafe — on the southbound side of Coastal Highway between Bethany and South Bethany hasn't been kind to food vendors of late.
In the last few years alone, it has seen departures of Burnzy's Bar and Grill, greek restaurant Turquoise and a mini version of Touch of Italy.
But that's not stopping Jeff Hamer and his Fins Hospitality Group.
The final steps are being completed and opening is right around the corner at the group's latest restaurant, a Fins Ale House & Raw Bar in Bethany.
According to Director of Operations Briana Rovinskie, the company hopes to put the finishing touches on the new spot this weekend, with a potentially "quiet" opening Sunday night.
“It’s kind of a Fins M.O.," Rovinskie said, "to jump into a place that’s been turned over when people say, ‘Nothing can survive there.’ And we make it not only survive, but thrive."
Rovinskie pointed to the Fins located on Coastal Highway in Rehoboth. Before they arrived, she said, there was a Quiznos and another failed sandwich shop. Now, that location is "the bread and butter of the entire company.”
"(Owner) Jeff Hamer loves that challenge,” Rovinskie said.
After the potential soft opening Sunday night, Fins will then open for dinner at 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Once we get our feet wet and feel comfortable, we’re going to open up for lunch and dinner every day,” Rovinskie said.
Fins will typically open at 11:30 a.m. Mondays-Fridays and at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays to offer an a la carte brunch.
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The Bethany location is the latest expansion for Hamer's group. The company opened a Fins Ale House in Berlin about six months ago to much success.
Rovinskie said the new Fins will employ about 30-35 employees to start.
Being so close to their other locations in Rehoboth wasn't much of a concern, Rovinskie said. In fact, the company is looking at the bigger picture.
“It’s kind of a way to get our foot in the door to the Annapolis market and Potomac market," she said. "Because a lot of those people vacation here in Bethany. And, you would think, Bethany and Rehoboth aren’t far apart. But people that come to vacation in Bethany aren’t leaving to go to Rehoboth. They’re staying in Bethany.
“Now we’re looking to move into a different market and hopefully expand that way some day. But we want to get people familiar with our brand here in the resort area."
A resort area the group thinks needed a fresh face.
"Bethany is kind of ripe to have some new places come in and open up," Rovinskie said. "The entire Eastern Shore and Delaware beaches are becoming year-round, so places that never supported a year-round restaurant business are certainly starting to. And they want different options to go eat, so we want to offer them that.”
The restaurant opening in Bethany isn't the only thing for which Fins Hospitality is gearing up.
The brand-new Big Oyster Brewery — the current one resides in Fins Ale House on Coastal Highway — in Lewes is in its final stages, as well.
The brewery is nearly doubling in size, going from a seven-barrel system to a 13-barrel setup. It will mostly operate as a production facility, Rovinskie said, where they'll be canning some of their most notable brews and debuting some new ones, including some barrel-aged beers they've been working on.
And to match those beers, Fins is also adding a 75-seat brewpub to the new brewery location.
While there will still be staples of other Fins locations, with raw bar and seafood selections, the company is expanding its food offerings. To compliment the beer scene and small-batched liquors, spirits and wine selections, Fins will be serving a more meat-heavy menu. Think in-house smoked bacon and other pork options.
The target opening is sometime in June. The focus for now, of course, is getting the Bethany location up and running.