Comments on: #1 Story Aqua Restaurant Becoming Oyster Farm Seafood Eatery

By: Marsha Krieghauser

Marsha Krieghauser — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 16:19:44 +0000

My husband, mother, & I took a nice ride yesterday from Virginia Beach, Sunday, to have lunch at Aqua and evaluate the location for a wedding for our daughter. We were extremely happy with the first impression of the color of the building, the water view, and the upscale look as you drive in. Very clean and manicured and that’s before spring flowers. The lunch selection was excellent. Lots to choose from. The fish tacos with coleslaw was the best I have ever had anywhere. The creamy crab soup was delicious with fresh bread. My husband’s savory beef/pork burger with portobello mushroom was a manly size and fabulous. Your chef uses attention to detail. The view was breathtaking. We will definitely go out of our way to bring friends and family back again.

Our overall evaluation of the wedding/event reception room was disappointing. The low ceiling area felt small and like ones at hotels. The “faux decorative painting” on the walls was very amateur-looking. Very sponge painting look. Was much better in the restaurant. As a designer myself, i have some concerns creating the tall upscale lighting look for a grand reveal. It has a workable space.

Not sure if it’s in your plans, but a sitting area around fire pits off of the grassy area would be nice to end the wedding event, especially to enjoy professional fireworks.

Congratulations on a beautiful facility!

By: Karen Gay

Karen Gay — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:55:19 +0000

We ate there on Saturday night and many of our favorite dishes were still on the menu. There were many new seafood options too. I don’t think that anyone will confuse this restaurant with the Shanty! We had a wonderful meal!

By: Hope Lawler

Hope Lawler — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 00:29:42 +0000

Mark, Your son will love the changes. The menu is similar with additional items added. The location, the sunsets, the staff -- that is all the same. Please go on the websight TheOysterFarmAtKingscreek.com to look at the new menu. The 22-foot tank with the Sting Rays may not be 100% complete or the final decor changes by April but I assure you it is not just another family-friendly restaurant.

By: Mark Lo

Mark Lo — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 21:23:08 +0000

When are these changes happening? We are coming down from Boston in April. What are we going to find? Is the restaurant going to be open or closed? Old menu? New menu? We try to go out of our way to stop in Cape Charles when we are in Virginia. We are a family with one kid, and Aqua was our son's favorite restaurant. If the new restaurant is just another "family-friendly" restaurant, we can get the same anywhere. Regarding the name, my wife and I love oysters. My son, not so much. Our March 4 follow-up story (CLICK) provides more details including the new restaurant's website with menu. --EDITOR

By: Hope Lawler

Hope Lawler — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 17:12:36 +0000

Hi Jeff,
I can assure you that we will never lose our elegance or jeopardize our existing clientele and will never turn into tacky. We are just making it more of a confortable setting and welcoming to all. On that note we are working on having the upstairs wear many hats — a bar, a dining area, bands; there are endless possibilities. Please go online to TheOysterFarmAtKingsCreek.com to review the website and take a peek at the new menu — I know you will be pleasantly surprised. Once again, I am looking forward to meeting you all at the grand opening party coming soon. We also have a new General Manager; his name is Bob Dodson. Please stop by to say hi and ask as many questions as you want.
-Hope

By: Daniel Burke

Daniel Burke — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 16:45:56 +0000

Through college I worked for a young man who would buy failing restaurants and turn them into packed moneymakers. His philosophy: What’s on your plate, how it gets to you, and how you feel when you get your bill determines whether you return
or not. When he got a new place people would always suggest “cool” names. He said you could name it after a fire hydrant and people would keep coming if your quality was right and served properly and was pereceived as a fair value. This was the 1980s. He was way ahead of his time in portion control, time management, buying at locked in prices, etc. Interestingly, he had a “hot food rule.” If that food didn’t get to the table hot, if the chef didn’t fire you the owner would. Tips were great so everyone worked hard and smart. That young man retired a millionaire at age 50. I would guess way more people have lost a million dollars in the restaurant business than have made a million. Anyway, it’s great a lot of people are interested. We love the place. The food is good as well as the service and they seem like genuinely nice folks who know what they’re doing. See you there.

By: Jeff A. Lawer

Jeff A. Lawer — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 03:49:13 +0000

Hello Hope,
I think all of the comments are valid and the debate brings out both sides of the issues and concerns. Everyone wants Aqua (the restaurant) to succeed. With that, I recently went to a Wolfgang Puck restaurant that was split into two restaurants — one catering towards family (downstairs) and the other catering toward high(er) end dining (upstairs). Is there a way to keep Aqua and introduce the Oyster Farm as well? The interior of Aqua is elegant and goes so well with the name Aqua. The building is also quite large and there is an upstairs and downstairs. Could you keep Aqua in one area and introduce the Oyster Farm in another? I do think that if you change the name and the menu towards just the Oyster Farm, that you won’t differentiate much from the Shanty anyway. This way you can test out the new concept without potentially jeopardizing your current customers.

The 2008 crash really impacted discretionary spending so I really believe that Aqua would continue to thrive and do well. There is a need for a higher end restaurants like Aqua in addition to the family friendly options. Just a thought.
Jeff

By: Richard Baggett

Richard Baggett — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 03:45:50 +0000

I’m the guy who crashed in Kings Creek in 1976 and there is no need to worry about the water quality in the creek because I believe I consumed the entire creek before getting a breath of fresh air!

By: Deborah Bender

Deborah Bender — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:55:34 +0000

I don’t like picnic tables either, Dana. I will say one thing — I went to a wedding there a while back and the food was fabulous. Everything was super organized. It was nothing short of superb! Beautiful day/beautiful sunset/beautiful all around!

By: Dana Lascu

Dana Lascu — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 05:56:40 +0000

I wouldn’t worry about a 1970’s crash – the many storms will have surely cleaned the bay many times over. It also seemed that the oyster theme was more interactive and educational. It would be difficult to cater to the demand with a limited local production. Here is my concern: I hope they continue to stay away from picnic tables – they don’t go well with champagne and truffles at sunset.