Annapolis restaurants will be serving up raw oysters, baked oysters, po’boy sandwiches, fried oysters and oyster stew, part of a campaign that starts today — the Annapolis Oyster Fest.
Beers from Eastern Shore Brewing Co. will be featured at all participating restaurants during the festival.
“You can get oysters for low as 50 cents and a local beer for (as little as) $1,” said Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.
The festival, which runs through March 21, is designed to help two businesses suffering some of the worst economic effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, restaurants and the seafood industry that supplies oysters, crabs and other local delicacies for menus around the region. Eighteen Annapolis area restaurants are participating.
Evans said he got the idea after hearing Gov. Larry Hogan say he was offering help out watermen and seafood processing companies. He’s working with a number of partners, including Katcef Bros., an Annapolis distributorship, Eastern Shore Brewing in Easton and the state’s Maryland Seafood marketing program.
“The oyster industry was the most impacted of the Maryland seafood industry,” Evans said. “We came up with this idea to help the oysters and our restaurants.”
It’s one of several promotions and marketing campaigns Evans is planning for spring and summer to take advantage of what he hopes will be a resurgent economy as vaccines continue to roll out, COVID numbers fall and restrictions on gatherings are relaxed.
Food service establishments in Anne Arundel County are currently allowed to operate at 50% capacity indoors. Outdoor dining is permitted as long as 50% of the tent sides remain up.
Evans believes it will be events like the Oyster Fest that will help bring customers back to downtown Annapolis.
“You can’t make a profit when you are in that 25% to 50% capacity, so our local businesses really need our help,” Evans said.
As of Thursday, food services establishments are recommended but not required to use contact tracing methods.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman relaxed restrictions Thursday, bringing Anne Arundel into alignment with the most liberal permissions announced statewide by Hogan.
To help businesses get there, Evans said, the partnership will use a $244,000 grant announced by Hogan’s office last month to will help while restaurants are still in 50% capacity.
The money is part of $7 million in grants for the Maryland Main Street Program, part of Hogan’s Maryland Strong Economic Recovery Initiative.
For restaurant owners not taking part or located outside Annapolis, marketing programs like Oyster Fest won’t directly help.
James King, whose Titan Hospitality Group owns restaurants in Annapolis and Gambrills, wants to see restrictions lifted from restaurants. He helped found the Maryland Restaurant Coalition, which waged a legal challenge to some of the deepest county restrictions late last year.
“Restrictions are the greatest burden to restaurants, and consumer confidence seems to be growing to the point we are turning customers away due to capacity limits,” he said.
“Nothing more frustrating to a business owner that has gone through the last 12 months and lost millions of dollars of revenue and having to turn money away.”
But for those who are taking part, Oyster Fest is a bridge to spring.
“The weather and this event will bring more people out and more money,” said Joe McGovern, co-owner of Stan and Joe’s Restaurant. “It’s been almost a year and we are holding on … it is exhausting. I just want to get back on my feet, I went from 21 employees to six.”
McGovern will be serving oysters harvested from the West River, just a few miles south of Annapolis.
Customers can dine in or carry out. He likes the oyster shooters — with vodka and bloody mary mix.
“We are looking forward to serving up some of the area’s best oysters and let people support local,” McGovern said.
After Oyster Fest, the next promotion is just around the corner: Annapolis Restaurant Week runs March 20-28.
For more information on the Annapolis Oyster Fest, including a list of participating restaurants, visit downtownannapolispartnership.org
