The Abbey Burger Bistro in Maryland’s Ocean City is closing permanently, and in its place will be the new location for Bourbon Street on the Beach.
The Abbey Burger Bistro, which has been tucked into the Holiday Inn Express off Coastal Highway at 126th Street for the last eight years, joins several other Ocean City restaurants that have made the decision to close because of pandemic-related pressures.
“OC Abbey Burger could not withstand the struggles of a quarantine required for the COVID-19 pandemic, the disproportionate impact on the seasonal resort town sector of the food industry, and the overall downturn in the economy, the last of which may reverberate for years,” the restaurant posted on Facebook, nearly a month after Bourbon Street said it was moving in.
“We are extremely humbled that so many embraced our restaurant and that we were able to succeed as long as we had,” Abbey Burger said.
The Abbey Burger Bistro operates several other locations, including Abbey Burger restaurants in Baltimore’s Fells Point, Federal Hill and Mount Washington, as well as Sliders Baltimore in Baltimore and Sullivan’s Cove in Severna Park.
Bourbon Street on the Beach, a 116th Street restaurant known for its $1 oysters, posted on Facebook on Jan. 16 that it would open at The Abbey Burger’s 126th Street location in spring.
The restaurant plans to be open at 126th Street with a similar menu in the beginning of April. Bourbon Street says it will be putting its 116th Street location up for sale or lease.
In January, all-you-can-eat seafood and prime rib buffet The Embers announced it had closed permanently after more than 70 years, citing the effects of the pandemic.
BJ’s on the Water last month closed permanently after 41 years. The owners citied health reasons.
The Beach Plaza Hotel, one of Ocean City’s oldest Boardwalk hotels, also announced its permanent closure last month, along with its on-site restaurant Ocean Thirteen.
Ocean Thirteen’s owners recently announced their reopening at a new location on 33rd Street in Ocean City.
WTOP’s Colleen Kelleher contributed to this story.