Councilman Mike Allegretto, Councilman Pete Madden, Jaime Afflerbach, Kendra Wright, Lauren Sacco, Scott Sacco, Chamber Executive Director Michele Gillian, Mayor Jay Gillian and Chamber President Bill McMahon cut the ribbon officially opening Frankie's by the Bay on Thursday, Jan. 29.
Three weeks after serving their first meals, the owners of the new Frankie's by the Bay restaurant took time out Thursday to celebrate an official ribbon-cutting.
City of Ocean City and Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce officials were on hand to welcome the new business.
Frankie's fills a spot on Bay Avenue at 11th Street formerly occupied by Bongo Cafe and Grill. The new owners hope to make it a year-round haven for three meals a day, a relative rarity in Ocean City.
"We opened in the dead of winter to work out the kinks," said Lauren Sacco, who is working with her husband, Scott Sacco, and her parents, Frank and Debbie Vito, to create the new eatery.
Sacco said Frankie's has had "huge, overwhelming support of neighbors" and weekends have been "kick-ass." She said Ocean City seems to have an insatiable appetite for breakfast at all times of day.
Frankie’s French toast is reportedly a favorite, and the cafe serves a mix of burger platters, pasta, lasagna, homemade soups and salads, among a variety of other special offerings. For the winter, the restaurant is open Thursday to Monday for lunch and dinner. It's open for breakfast hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
"In March, we'll go full throttle," Sacco said of a seven-day, three-meal schedule.
Sacco said the new venture is a trendy tribute to coal towns like Hazleton, where she grew up and where her family has operated Frankie’s Pizzeria and Restaurant for 20 years. The cafe's decorations include chunks of coal from her back yard back home.
Sacco said she’s excited about the new opportunity and “looking to make a family down in Ocean City.” The Saccos are living in the space above the restaurant.
Scott Sacco, who has a chiropractic practice in Philadelphia and is an avid fisherman, said he's still marveling at the notion of living in Ocean City and being able to walk the boardwalk at any time.
"We pinch each other to see if it's real," he said.
