A Chesapeake Bay sailing, fishing, boating-type place
After retiring as an investment banker, Dick Franyo asked himself, “What can I do?” He’d always liked pubs. Since the sailors’ favorite Marmaduke’s Pub had closed on Severn Avenue in the late 90s, he said, “There seemed to be an opening for a Chesapeake Bay sailing, fishing, boating-type place. I did all these things and had grown up on the Bay.” He also liked pubs and envisioned a place with a “cool vibe.”
As Franyo planned his pub with an architect (to look like the inside of a Hinckley Bermuda 40 filled with fun boating pictures and memorabilia), he met with Mary Ewenson and Dave Gendell, co-owners of SpinSheet (four years before they launched PropTalk). The duo gave him ideas on what sailors and boaters wanted in a pub. Among other things, Gendell advised him to place shakers of Old Bay on each table and to film the Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday night sailboat races to show at the bar afterward.
Free rum meant the sailors would come
In October of 2001, the Boatyard Bar & Grill on the corner of Fourth and Severn Streets in Eastport opened its doors. From the very beginning, Franyo wanted to host outdoor events. In the spring of 2002, he launched the Boatyard’s signature Opening Day Fishing Tournament, a SpinSheet favorite since its inception and now a PropTalk and FishTalk reader favorite. Fearing there wouldn’t be enough people at the after-party that first year, Franyo offered free rum, knowing that the sailors would come. They did, and they do to this day; it could be the only fishing tournament on the Chesapeake where you see dozens of sailors. In addition to providing a fun tournament and lively parking lot party with live music, the fishing tournament’s proceeds benefitted (and still benefit) regional waterfront nonprofits.
To host lifestyle events and give back
The next year, Franyo presented the Boatyard Beach Bash to support the Annapolis Maritime Museum to the delight of regional Parrot Heads, as the headline bands included and continue to include top Jimmy Buffett Coral Reefer band members in what’s now an annual event. Through these first successes, Franyo and team learned the ropes of producing outdoor events. These skills helped them when they created Bands in the Sand at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation beach to benefit CBF.
When the late Don Backe called him to ask if he’d consider sponsoring a sailing regatta to benefit disabled sailors, Franyo agreed to it, as long as Mount Gay Rum would sponsor it and offer red hats to competitors. What was born as the Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta for CRAB (now the CRAB Cup) has been a huge success, along with the other now-staples on the Annapolis outdoor party and fundraiser circuit.
Through these four annual events, the Boatyard Bar & Grill team has raised more than $4 million dollars for the Annapolis waterfront community. “That was always part of the mission: to host lifestyle events and give back,” says Franyo.
In addition to the special outdoor events, local racing sailors (and spectators) have come to expect seeing the Boatyard’s signature yellow boat buzzing around the race course every week for Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Races; T2P.TV’s excellent video coverage plays at the Boatyard Bar & Grill after racing all summer long.
In the early years, Franyo thought the Boatyard would stay small. He says, “You know, a small pub with a Kiwi at the bar eating a burger and a guy who owns a Hinckley drinking a beer.” But as the food improved, the Boatyard team got busy and outgrew their kitchen. In 2007, the restaurant and bar expanded into what is now the Market side, featuring attractive woodwork, fishing photos, a quieter bar, and a retail store.
What's next?
What’s next? “Everyone asks, ‘Why don’t you start one in Newport, RI; Charleston, SC; or New Orleans, LA.’ I’m not going to do that,” says the enthusiastic entrepreneur from his second home in Hope Town, Bahamas.
“We work hard raising money for these events—I’m very involved with bringing in sponsors.” (Franyo has also been involved in raising $5 million for hurricane relief in Hope Town.)
“At the Boatyard I’ve got a great team. Over the years, it’s become a serious food service operation. We’ve got 100 employees. We put through 1500 customers on a Saturday… I aim to keep the quality going and keep quality people on staff and treat them right.
“We kept our staff during Covid. We didn’t cut our ads during Covid, including you guys (at SpinSheet and PropTalk) and WRNR radio,” he adds. (Thank you from Team SpinSheet!)
So much more than crabcakes
“Our customers are great. Our employees are great. Our suppliers are great, and we have great relationships, including you guys! Besides those great relationships, I’ve met so many incredible people: Kevin Bacon, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, governors—the Supreme Court Justices have had lunch at the Boatyard. Incredible people, including our customers. It’s been so much more than a place that sells crab cakes. It’s an institution that’s done a lot of good.”
Congratulations to the Boatyard Bar & Grill team on their 20-year anniversary!
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