When the tenants adjacent to Ocean City’s Longboard Café decided not to renew their lease, owner Rick Vach saw an opportunity to paddle his local-favorite restaurant through the perfect wave of expansion and reconfiguration.

“The first thing that we knew we needed was a much bigger bar. I wanted to make a U-shaped bar so that people could see across the bar and socialize,” Rick shared.

The massive new bar features a sleek design that pulls in elements of surf culture, such as bamboo siding and mounted wooden surfboards. The expanded area includes vaulted ceilings, an enlarged host stand and a space to facilitate carry out orders.

“Ever since COVID-19, carryout has been a large part of our business,” said Rick.

The addition also contains a gourmet market, where guests can shop for dry-aged, grass-fed beef cuts from Maryland-based Roseda Farm, as well as an assortment of high-quality cheeses, jams, jellies, spices, and much more.

Additionally, there are house-made products, including Longboard’s famous addiction sauce and wrinkle green bean sauce, available for purchase.

As part of the renovation, Rick had the existing bar removed. This allowed for some revamping within the initial space, including new booth seating, more separation between tables and a more open doorway.

“We wanted to expand. And if you have been there before and after, it just seems like a completely different space,” said Rick.

Longboard Café officially unveiled its new expansion in early March. While there have been many physical upgrades recently, the excellent customer service and delicious food, which elevates and takes new spins on classic surf-shack food and beverages, have remained the same. CS