Hammerheads Dockside out at Indian River Marina

After a decade at the Indian River Marina, Hammerheads Dockside has lost its contract with the state to continue running a restaurant.

Owned and operated by George Bendler and Cohen Sade since 2013, the restaurant announced its unexpected closing in a Facebook post Jan. 31.

“There’s no room for little fish in Delaware anymore,” reads the post. “We want to publicly announce that Hammerheads Dockside’s days have, involuntarily, come to an end.”

The post said the state awarded “without explanation” a contract to Big Fish Restaurant Group. Hammerheads submitted a proposal, which included an expansion for year-round dining and events, to keep the business and staff at the inlet for 25 more years, reads the post.

“Dockside was a magical place where we all have so many fun and special memories. We hoped to continue for many seasons to come, but unfortunately the State of Delaware has chosen a different path,” said the post.

Shauna McVey, spokesperson for Delaware State Parks, said the Hammerheads contract is set to expire at the end of the month, and the state issued a request for proposals in advance of that expiration. Two bids were received, and those bids were analyzed utilizing criteria and evaluation procedures included in the RFP, she said.

According to the RFP, issued in October, the site for the Indian River Marina restaurant operation includes a building with about 1,400 square feet and an outside usable deck area of about 1,100 square feet. The exterior deck/plaza includes four covered roof pergolas, a stage, a tiki bar, planter boxes that border the business area and some built-in seating.

Vendors were encouraged to submit creative business proposals that include, but are not limited to, refurbishing the existing facility; replacing old equipment with state-of-the-art equipment; offering the public a full indoor and/or outdoor bar service; plan, design and promote a new menu offering breakfast, lunch and dinner; and provide methods of increasing park visitor satisfaction through the use of the marina restaurant.

Additionally, according to the RFP, the state is open to a “value added” proposal, “which may include capital improvements and/or new opportunities or enhancements for catering events such as weddings, reunions, etc.”

The term of the contract is for 10 years and may be renewed for one five-year period. However, the state is also allowed to enter into a contract of up to 25 years if the bidder “provides capital improvements and offerings that require longer timelines for return on investment.”

The scored evaluation process within the RFP had a maximum total of 400 points. Coming in at 80 points each, the two most important criteria were the creativity in planning, designing and delivering a successful establishment, and the value of the vendor’s proposal to the state. Experience, quality and diversity of menu, and the bidder’s action plan each had a total worth of 60 points. The remaining points were related to the bidder’s willingness to agree to the state’s contract terms without taking exceptions, and financial stability.

The division is still actively engaged in the bid process and a contract has not been fully executed at this time, said McVey, adding the finalizing date is yet to be determined.

This is the second Hammerheads to close in recent years. The Dewey Beach location closed during the pandemic and never reopened. The Starboard Claw is under construction at that site.

Big Fish Restaurant Group has a presence all over the state, but among the local restaurants it owns and operates are Big Fish Grill, Obie’s by the Sea, Sazio, Stingray, Salt Air, Crab House and Striper Bites.

Representatives from Big Fish and Hammerheads could not be reached for further comment.