Agave in Lewes 'crazy' busy as it reopens after long renovation project

Jeff Neiburg
The Daily Times
Chris McKeown, Owner of Agave, poses for a photo in his Lewes location on Monday, May 22, 2017.

The wait, it appears, is finally over.

Walking by Agave Mexican Restaurant in Lewes Wednesday revealed bottles of Cholula hot sauce and place settings on the tables inside the expanded space on Second Street.

Owner Chris McKeown confirmed that his famed Mexican and tequila restaurant has officially reopened after a long renovation project.

When interviewed in late May, McKeown promised a quiet reopen, in an effort to not, as he said, "open the floodgates" for a staff that needed to get used to a seemingly brand-new restaurant. No announcement was made on Agave's Facebook page or on its website. Facebook commenters, who have been frustrated, noticed Agave's phone message no longer said the restaurant was closed.

Word seems to get around fast.

"It's crazy in here," McKeown said in a text message Wednesday night, one night after Agave quietly reopened its doors after closing them to renovate in early December.

The restaurant went from 60 seats to 100 and McKeown said he doubled his staff size in an effort to increase productivity and efficiency across the board. Patrons of Agave, one of Delaware's best Mexican restaurants, have grown used to long wait times. Like many other beach restaurants, Agave does not take reservations and this year McKeown is hopeful wait times will stay under two hours.

Every piece of equipment in the restaurant was replaced. The restaurant has new point-of-sale systems. For now, the menu hasn't changed, save for maybe a few new drinks.

The delay in reopening – the target date, according to Agave's Facebook, ranged anywhere from February to May – was in large part because McKeown did not hire a general contractor. Instead, McKeown took on that role himself.

READ MORE: Agave in Lewes nearing reopen as owner plans for the future

“I’m not going to pay somebody to just ask me the questions that all of these people are asking that person,” McKeown said in May. “They’re all going to come back to me anyway. I got to be here almost all day every day, so why am I going to pay somebody to do it?”

Another reason, and perhaps the main one, is because McKeown has plans to open another Agave in Sussex County and is working on another concept, as well. This project he hopes gave him a good look at what construction on a restaurant looks like.

Those plans, though, are on the back burner. He's got plenty on his hands in Lewes for the next three months.