One of Hampton Bays’ local restaurants and bars is closing after 11 years of business. The landmark on the Shinnecock Canal in Hampton Bays, Tide Runners, closed its doors Saturday September 28th because the landlords feel that 40 town homes would be better on the property.
The restaurant, which is on the Eastern Canal Property, is closing along with North One Steakhouse and White Water Bait and Tackle. The landlords, R Squared, are a development company from Nassau County, who have been in talks with Southampton Town about this project since 2005.
Tom Owens, a bartender at Tide Runners, is very upset about the destruction of the restaurant. He has worked there for the past 11 years and actually has lived on the property for 7 years. He said, “The closing of Tide Runners will distance me from my family and friends. Tide Runners has been a gathering place for me and thousands of others for decades.”
One of the owners, Michele Ryan, who also lives on the property in the summer, said, “It is not just about the closing of a restaurant, it’s about saying goodbye to a way of life. Every March I would start looking forward to the opening of Tide Runners and spending my summer with my friends that I’ve made in the Hamptons over the years. Now I have to leave it all. People should know that Tide Runners was not just a job. It was a family.”
Unbeknownst to many, the Save CPI campaign is tied in to all of this. If you sign that petition you are wishing away Tide Runners. Bonnie Gaffney, who has lived in Hampton Bays her whole life, didn’t know about the loophole and said, “I would rather have Tide Runners because I would rather have a great place where I can go with my family and get a bite to eat or have a cocktail. I can relax and watch the boats go by. Over the years my kids have grown up there and there’s really no place like it. Rumba is too small and Cowfish is too touristy.” Recently the Hampton Bays Beautification Society and the Concerned Citizens of Hampton Bays have changed their views on the project. They are now against it.
Lately there has been a sudden outburst of support for Tide Runners. A Facebook page called Save Tide Runners was started and it already has over 800 friends in two months. Also in the past two months, two petitions, one hand written and one online have already gained over 2500 signatures. Owner Chris Glynn said, “I feel very proud that people have enjoyed the restaurant and the hard work we have put in the past decade. And they don’t want to see it go.”
Tide Runners customers, Lisa and Pete Ahlers, when asked about the development of the east side of the canal, said, “We have been going to meetings and are against the project and don’t know what to do next year. Tide Runners has been our spot for 11 years and we remember watching a kid grow up there over the years. We would have water gun fights on Sunday days at the bar.”
How do you feel about Tide Runners closing? Would you rather have 40 town homes for just a few on the property or a restaurant for the whole community to enjoy. You can voice your opinion on Facebook or sign the petition at the link below. Tide Runners’ last day of business was September 28th, the final farewell party.
Link to the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/save-tide-runners-save-the-east-side-of-the-shinnecock-canal-no-town-homes-on-the-east-side-of-the-shinnecock-canal
