Last year was a very different, and in most cases, a very difficult year for the restaurant industry, especially on the seasonal East End. In an interview with Hamptons.com, Kristina Beatty Davis, co-owner of Navy Beach, opened up about last year and the optimism for this season at her Montauk establishment. It is tucked away in a fantastic location, down at the end of Navy Road, off Second House Road. It is a great location for sunsets and cocktails and wonderful dinners.
Beatty Davis was born and raised in southern Indiana, in Evansville, where she met her husband in the early ’90s. Eventually, they moved to NYC. She said, “We built a home out east in ’99 and spent all our free time in Montauk fishing and enjoying the beaches. In 2009, we set out with our partners to find the perfect destination space for a restaurant, fortunately finding Navy Beach’s unique beachfront location in Montauk!”
About last year, she noted, “For all of us, 2020 was a difficult year and the ability for us to open up late June was a shimmer of hope to return to normalcy. The safety of our staff and our guests was and is always paramount, but the memories of getting through a difficult season without a single case with our staff was a high point to be sure. The low points are too obvious to mention.”
With Navy Beach scheduled to open for the 2021 season on April 30th, there is optimism in the year. When asked about this coming season, Beatty Davis said, “The entire team is excited to get back to work so that we can provide memorable experiences and enjoyable meals together with friends and family as we have for the last 12 years. The staff can’t wait to get back to work, as it’s like a family that has now been apart for too long and now is united.”
Every who goes to Navy Beach can’t help but enjoy the incredible views of Fort Pond Bay and the nightly sunsets. When asked about what might be in store on the menu for this season, Beatty Davis revealed, “Our craft cocktails are always a hit – and moreover after last year when most didn’t have a mixologist quarantined with them. We will have some fantastic, fun surprises rolling out over the season. There will be some interesting new takes on our sample dishes that will be introduced. Our locally sourced seafood and our use of local farms will remain a primary focus of our menu. Our new ceviche twists and the classics will carry on.”
“With so many of us cooped up for so long, it will be a festive year and we will welcome that with open arms, socially distanced of course!” Beatty Davis said about the mood going into the 2021 season.
Navy Beach is owned by Frank Davis, Kristina Beatty Davis, Franklin Ferguson and Leyla Marchetto. Navy Beach expanded to the Caribbean after the 2020 season, opening last November at Yacht Haven Grande on the island of St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands. Their Executive Team supporting their expansion into the Caribbean include Liz Bruce and Bon Pruett. This coming fall of 2021, they are launching a third Navy Beach at the exclusive Yacht Club, Isle de Sol, on the Caribbean Island of St. Maarten. They also plan on being back in St. Thomas with the reopening of Navy Beach and the revealing of ISLA Cantina also at Yacht Haven Grande.
The excitement of a more normal, yet safe 2021 dining season on the East End is something to definitely be excited about – and a visit to Navy Beach is always a great choice!
Navy Beach is located at 16 Navy Road in Montauk.