Seafood Shack Restaurant Closes
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
The Seafood Shack Restaurant in Cortez has closed re-opened.
The waterfront restaurant has been in business for 38 years serving grouper sandwiches, clam chowder and burgers but succumbed to the combination of high taxes, high insurance, economic downturn, and an upcoming bridge repair.
The humpback bridge on 127th Street is closing for repairs and Seafood Shack owner, Ham Jones, said he faced bankruptcy trying to stay open with low patronage, or close and lay off staff. He kept open the possibility of reopening in November if the bridge repairs are completed by then, and if the Anna Maria Island bridge repair closures reroutes traffic to Cortez bridge as scheduled for October – November.
The 700-seat restaurant has been on the market for some years, with contracts that fell through in 2002 and 2004.
The restaurant also operated a paddlewheel Showboat for dining and excursions, but was recently sold off.
The adjacent Seafood Shack Marina remains open.
UPDATE: The Seafood Shack Restaurant is reopening Monday December 15th. Hours are 11:30 a.m to 9:00 p.m. Telephone: 941-794-1235
Organizers of last month’s 
Ed Chiles, local businessman and son of the late ex-Governor Lawton Chiles, spoke to the Anna Maria Island Historical Society last week at their annual luncheon meeting, to present his company’s plans for retail, office, and residential redevelopment on Pine Avenue.
