The Crazy Tuna Bar & Grill will close permanently on Saturday, leaving a hole in Baltimore Countyβs dining and live music scene.
The restaurant opened on Hopkins Creek along Middle River more than a decade ago, said manager Ashley Schap, who has been with the eatery for eight years.
While there are other waterfront destinations in the area, including LoonAsea Restaurant just next door, Schap said customers flocked to the Crazy Tuna for the βfun, laid-back, casualβ atmosphere, music, tiki bar and sand outside. The place was equally inviting for children, including her own daughter. βWe had a good run.β
Schap said owners made a βbusiness decisionβ to shut down. But customers have packed the restaurant since the announcement was posted Thursday about the closure. Sheβd like to see a new operator take over. βThatβs my hope.β
In a Facebook post that received hundreds of comments and more than 800 shares online, the owners wrote that there βis never just one reason when these decisions are made,β but thanked the surrounding communities of Hopkins Creek, Middleborough and Essex for their years of support.
Commenters on the Facebook post included local musicians who thanked the venue for hosting them. βSome of our most memorable shows over these past 10 years have been at The Tuna,β wrote local country artist Dean Crawford.
But the eatery also faced more than a dozen noise complaints from neighbors last year, when Baltimore Countyβs liquor board decided to punish the restaurant by banning it from serving booze and hosting live music for two weekends, according to WBAL-TV.
Managing partner Rich Cutair disputed the allegations, saying the business was following noise guidelines. Cutairβs Linkedin profile also lists him as managing partner at Tiki Bar Solomons Island.





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