Ocean City

Atlantic Stand Might Not Be Done After All
Jacob Cook

Staff Writer

12/07/2006 OCEAN CITY – Crowds gathered around a landmark eatery on the Boardwalk last Sunday to say goodbye to a family that captured their hearts and bellies on the wooden planks for many years, but just as the doors were beginning to close for the last time it appears the famous eats could be sticking around.

It seemed as if everyone Atlantic Stand Owner Rob and Debbie Cole served over the past 15 years turned out last Sunday to grab one last grilled split hot dog, a fountain soda with crushed ice or a famous hamburger that few can duplicate.

Sure, some of the tears and hugs could have been a result of the food, which has become legendary on the corner of Wicomico Street and the Boardwalk for a quarter of a century, but most of the crowd, who the Coles would call their extended family, turned out to share stories and memories of the small burger joint turned Boardwalk institution. When the Cole family turned the key for the last time last weekend, so did many others, as old employees even slapped on an apron for a trip down memory lane.

It was far from the future Rob Cole thought he would have when he ventured to the beach from upstate New York in the summer of 1975 and first got a job at the eatery then-named Alaska Stand as a fry cook. But after 32 years of working at the establishment he later purchased, the overwhelming response from people who heard the Cole family was stepping away from the business and the crowds last Sunday made it hard to have any regrets, he said.

“It was quite an emotional time,” he said.

The family’s announcement that it would be closing for good at the end of business last Sunday sent waves of shock and disappointment throughout the local community and reached summer visitors far and wide. After looking for someone to take over the business to continue the rich legacy painted on the popular Boardwalk corner nearly 75 years ago, it appeared the flame was burning quickly, with an auction to sell the equipment next Wednesday following the final closing last weekend.

However, The Dispatch this week discovered that a deal to save the Atlantic Stand and keep it in operation downtown for many more years to come is looming.

Interested buyers Brandon and Madelyn Phillips reportedly have a verbal agreement to lease the site with property owner Bill Purnell of the nearby Atlantic Hotel. The handshake could turn into a done deal with both parties prepared to sign papers any day, sources say. According to Cole, Purnell recently told him to cancel the auction scheduled for next Wednesday. The deal would give the historic establishment a new lease on life and the popular spot would reportedly remain relatively unchanged, with the same great food that has welcomed Boardwalk customers for many years.

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