(May 1, 2015) Owner Harvey Blonder has expanded his brand of Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs to a serene bay view property on Wicomico Street in downtown Ocean City and will open on Wednesday, May 6, at 11 a.m.
The original Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs has been operating for more than 26 years and is located in downtown Annapolis.
In Ocean City, the restaurant will offer steamed-to-order crabs, jumbo lump crab cakes, succulent baby back ribs, boardwalk fries, salads, burgers and hand-prepped fried chicken.
Its cream of crab soup has won state championships and will be featured in the citywide Crab Soup Cook Off tomorrow on the Somerset Street Plaza.
“Our biggest entity hands down is our fresh crabs steamed to order, and a drink menu that mirrors the views,” Blonder said. “Our goal is to offer every customer the best experience ever, no matter if it’s their first or 10th visit.”
A selection of bar drinks include mojitos, crushes, frozen drinks and oyster shooters. In addition to having multiple crushes to choose from, Buddy’s will offer orange crushes every day, at any time, for $5.50.
Blonder described the atmosphere at Buddy’s as fun, happy, casual and relaxed, the interior walls adorned with anchors, fishnets and crabs. Every seat in the restaurant has a view of the bay, and there will be live music on the weekends, afternoons and evenings during the summer.
Once guests enter the restaurant they have several options on where to dine. Ordering food at the take-out counters is a possibility, where customers coming by car or boat have the option to purchase food, as well as beer and wine. The outside counter includes a self-serve Coke fountain.
Guests can also sit in or outside in the dining areas or bars. The outside bar area has 40 seats, with a cocktail waitresses serving guests at the dozens of benches on the dock.
Blonder, who has been vacationing in Ocean City with his family for years and owns a residence in the area, said he had been looking for the right location in Ocean City to branch out Buddy’s for more than five years. When this opportunity arose during an auction in September, he decided to put his plan into action and expand his brand.
Reaching out to locals is a priority for Buddy’s, which will feature deals and specials for customers who keep up with the restaurant on Facebook.
“We are honored and excited to be part of Ocean City’s local community,” Blonder said. “We are thankful for all of our friends and their support they’ve expressed when word got out that Buddy’s was coming to Ocean City.”
Blonder and his team were recently inducted into the Maryland Hospitality Hall of Honor, which recognizes restaurants in the state that embody the spirit of the hospitality industry based on overall contribution to individual customers, as well as the entire industry.
Ocean City’s Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs is located on Wicomico Street and the Bay. For more information visit www.BuddysOC.com or follow the restaurant on social media with the handle “BuddysOCMD.”
