(April 17, 2015) Dead Freddies and De Lazy Lizard owner Steve Carullo outlined some of his plans to reimagine the First Street bar and nightclub into a more family-friendly destination to the Board of License Commissioners on Wednesday.
Carullo appeared before the board to request that the suspension of De Lazy Lizard’s Class B liquor license be lifted, so that it could be transferred from the restaurant’s previous owners to OC Lizard, LLC – the new company that Carullo has established for his takeover of the downtown restaurant.
A new site plan, under review in Ocean City, had not yet been finalized, Carullo said. In broad strokes, Carullo said he wanted to transform the Lizard from a bar/nightclub into a family destination, more in line with what is already offered at Dead Freddie’s. Carullo has owned the restaurant, located between 63rd and 64th Streets, for several years.
Out goes the Lizard’s tiki bar, out goes the dance floor (except for weddings), and out goes, Carullo hopes, the existing clientele.
Of major concern to Carullo was security. He mentioned several times his goal of restricting the facility to “one entry and one exit,” not including the marina. The marina will still feature takeaway beer and wine.
“It’s not going to be a free flow of people,” he said, “my goal is to secure the entry points.”
Next year, Carullo hopes to build another structure on the property strictly for family dining. In total, the restaurant will open with 400 available seats, which he said he hoped to get to at least 550 before next season. This plan, however, might be contingent on another property purchase he hoped to close in early May.
Carullo said he hopes to open the revamped De Lazy Lizard next month.
After selling the Lizard, former owner Todd Hayes recently announced plans to open a brewery in Snow Hill.
