The past week served as a good reminder that Charleston is a small town where misinformation can spread like wildfire.
Case in point: The next phase of the Marina Variety Store and Salty Mike’s, a beloved restaurant and bar on Lockwood Boulevard. They were at the center of a social media maelstrom after a questionable local Instagram account posted Dec. 2 that the new operators fired the staff and that the restaurant and bar were “stripped down and waiting for its next ‘coastal, elevated, chef-driven concept.’” The post had enormous engagement. But in reality, it was an Instagrammable misrepresentation of the truth.
In January, the Altine and Ritter families sold the popular restaurant and bar to Safe Harbor Marinas after 62 years of ownership. Safe Harbor operated the two concepts for the bulk of the year before North Carolina restaurateurs James and Cindy Capps took over the lease in November. Salty Mike’s will not have a name change, but the upstairs restaurant will now be called Fin & Crab. It is set to open Wednesday. At the beginning, it will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Back to the story: On the day the lease finalized, Safe Harbor offered employees a severance package and all employees were given the opportunity to apply and continue to work at the new restaurant, according to Cindy Capps. She also noted that with the exception of two people, the existing team – including Altine and Ritter family members – remain with the restaurant and bar.
“I think it’s that severance that started the ‘everybody was fired’ rumor,” she said. “It’s not that everyone was fired, that business closed and a new one opened. And with the opening of the new business, legally, employees couldn’t transfer because I did not purchase the company, I just leased the property.”
The Capps operate Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill and Clem’s Seafood Market in Southport, N.C. James Capps and his son also are commercial fishermen. When researching the history of Marina Variety and Salty Mike’s while considering the sublease, Cindy said she noticed many similarities between the Charleston business and her restaurants in North Carolina. She noted her family shared the core values of team, family, community, local ingredients, customer experience and having fun with the Altine and Ritter families.
Look for similar menus and more options
“I am not a James Beard restaurant,” Cindy told the Charleston City Paper. “I am not fine dining. I am not fast food. I am fun dining on the water. This location was ideal for me because it’s a concept I know well.”
Cindy stressed the Capps’ commitment to fresh and local ingredients which she said will be seen across all menus. For lunch and dinner, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and peel-and-eat shrimp remain. There will be a seafood fritter, which is a take on the Bahamian conch fritter, as well as clams, mussels and a warm crab dip. Entrees will be items like crabcakes, salmon and jerk chicken.
Breakfast, understandably, seems to be the most sacred for devotees of the former Marina Variety Store. Cindy said that breakfast is virtually the same with some slight tweaks and a few new names. Georgia and Lowcountry hashbrowns remain as do chicken and waffles and stuffed challah French toast (no longer with peanut butter and jelly, but with a mixed berry and cream cheese mixture). And the sunrise starter will now be called the mariner’s breakfast, but it will be the same.
The core team
“It’s amazing because, most of the time when you take over a restaurant, it takes years to create that type of camaraderie and team and family,” Cindy said. “And I inherited it. We all already feel like family.”
Chef Ryan Collins remains as does Earl Felder, who has cooked breakfast at Marina Variety for decades. The Salty Mike’s team also remains. Fin & Crab is looking to bring in new staff and expand because the hope is to be open seven days a week.
Cindy said she is well-versed in the six-decade evolution of the restaurant and bar after she traced their history when considering taking over the space. Salty Mike’s started on Edisto Island before moving to the Rice Mill and then to the current location. At one point, it was a true marina store with washers and dryers and provisions. Breakfast sandwiches started rolling out and that evolved into a dinner service with white tablecloths before becoming what it was recently.
“I don’t want to say that it’s different from what it was because it’s been so many different things,” Capps said. “The concept of seafood and fun dining on the water is still the same.”
The space has been closed for renovations, which she believes will only enhance the experience. A wall was knocked down to provide a more expansive view of the Ashley River.
At Salty Mike’s, guests will still be able to play pool and order a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Cindy said they are planning to bring live music back and there will be full food service. And perhaps most helpful, there will now be bathrooms downstairs, so you don’t need to stumble upstairs when it’s time for a restroom visit. She said they also plan to put in a draft system to have local brewery selections on draft and have local distilleries bottles at the bar.
“I think the biggest message is that what I’m trying to do is work with the family who is still a part of this,” said Cindy. “I want to revive their original vision and move it into a sustainable future.”
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