By Scott Cronick
Somers Point certainly has its share of legendary spots: Charlie’s, Gregory’s, Anchorage, Point Diner and DiOrio’s are just a few.
Fitzpatrick’s Deli & Steakhouse deserves to be in the same conversation with all of those iconic spots.
While Fitzpatrick’s was actually founded by a Somers Point family named Fitpatrick in the mid-1970s, it was the Hursts who have taken that one-time 25-seat, lunch-only spot on Ocean Heights Avenue and Route 9 near the current Wawa to the 180-seat, three-meal dining destination it is now on 650 Route 9. In between there was a move and expansion to a 120-seat spot at the Groveland Shopping Center, where the Hursts expanded to also include dinner.
It has been 35 years since Bill and his late father Carl partnered into business together. To say their business venture — assisted by Bill’s wife Pat and their family — was a success would be an understatement.
Like everything in life, all good things must come to an end … or do they?
Bill and Pat Hurst announced officially to their family at a gathering Sunday that they are retiring. But that moment was not bittersweet at all. In fact, it was all sweet, because the Hursts are passing the torch — and business — to their son Bill Jr., a great chef who has been working in the family business since he was a kid, but more officially when the Hursts moved to their current location about 15 years ago.
“Instead of saying retirement, I’d like to say we are all here tonight to celebrate the success and achievements of my father,” Bill Jr. told the intimate crowd at the restaurant on Sunday. “I have some big shoes to fill.”
That’s good news for all of those Fitzpatrick’s fans out there. Because Bill Hurst Jr. seems committed to not just continuing the family legacy, but growing it and putting his own mark on it.
Reminiscing
When Bill Hurst Sr. took over Fitzpatrick’s Deli, his entire philosophy was to make a great living serving two meals a day: breakfast and lunch. That changed when he moved to Groveland Avenue and added dinner, and it changed even more when they relocated to the current location and added Steakhouse to its name.
Bill Hurst Sr. started his career in a small, family-owned Italian restaurant slinging pizza when he was 14 years old.
“At 17, I had fun watching him as he did some pretty crazy tricks with that pizza,” said Pat, who was Bill’s high school sweetheart at Edison High School. “But, more than that, I could see at a young age how hard he worked, the long hours he put in, and the years he committed to this one restaurant.”
After graduating culinary school, Hurst took advantage of the skyrocketing casino world, working for restaurants at Bally’s, Playboy and Showboat, before becoming a restaurateur while still in his 20s.
When they purchased Fitzpatrick’s in 1989, they quickly began offering breakfast. Five years later, they needed a bigger boat and moved to a 77-seat joint on Groveland Avenue. And then that became too small, and they added another store that was vacant next to them to expand seating to 135 seats, eventually adding dinner.
“My dad was a carpenter, and I went to culinary school,” Bill Sr. said. “When we first took it over, it was just lunch. And I think we did well before Wawa, and then there was less parking, so that was one of the reasons we moved. Immediately when we took over, we refurbished the menu and made everything homemade. We started making our own soups, roasting our own meats, making our own salads, sauces, everything.”
Even though the addition of dinner was a major step, the Hursts wisely never changed the way Fitzpatrick’s operated in the mornings and afternoons, with the deli offering the same homemade soups, stacked sandwiches made with meats roasted daily at the restaurant and enticing breakfast items. And when they moved to the current location and added Steakhouse to its name, diners were thrilled to learn that they were able to get many of the lunch items they loved at dinner … a bonus for anyone who might crave a Big Fitz Special — corned beef, turkey breast or roast beef with cole slaw and Russian dressing on rye — or a 16-ounce Delmonico, or that crunchy Texas French toast in the morning.
It was that time when Bill Hurst Jr. came into the picture. In fact, the steakhouse dinner menu was designed by Hurst, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and his son, a graduate of the Academy of Culinary Arts in Mays Landing, whose creativity brought items like house-made Reuben eggrolls, braised short rib and maple salmon to the dinner menu.
Along the way, Pat Hurst has been an integral part of the business, using her experience as a marketing guru for a nonprofit to serve as the restaurant’s director of marketing, public relations and special events when they moved to the current location.
“I wasn’t really part of the business until then,” she said. “When he moved to the standalone location we are at now, I was really able to help them market and be part of the business.”
Fitzpatrick’s has also become a major destination for private parties, as its Fitz Media Private Room accommodates up to 50 people, features a large screen and projector and is perfect for meetings or even holiday parties. The main dining room also can be offered for events accommodating up to 100 people.
Retirement
For Bill and Pat, it was time to let Bill Hurst Jr. take the helm after 36 years, but that doesn’t mean they won’t miss it. In fact, they both plan to stay active, helping their son however and whenever he needs that help.
“Where did the time go?” Pat asked her husband Sunday. “This golden moment you plan for your whole life, and now that it’s here, we are trying to grasp what’s next – are we ready? It kind of feels like graduation: A happy time, starting a new chapter, a new beginning, but what does retirement really mean? I think for us it simply means it’s time to pass on the hat … the chef hat, that is. It will sure be hard to step aside and leave our baby ‘Daddy’s Deli’ and now ‘Papa’s Deli’ behind, but we do know it’s time.”
One thing clearly evident on Sunday was the Hursts’ love for those who helped them in their success story.
“From the moment you started building the business, and through all those challenging times, you realized that business success could only be achieved and measured by how well your team works together,” Pat said. “And Fitzpatrick’s was lucky to work with some of the best.”
As far as Bill and Pat, they really aren’t sure what they are going to do with all of this time on their hands except that they know they are going to spend winters in a warmer climate and spend more time with family.
Pat said she might take up pickleball. Bill said he wants to travel more.
But, one thing is for sure: They will miss the daily routine with their customers.
“What better complement to receive as an owner than when customers say, ‘We Love Fitzpatrick’s,” Pat said. “So, yes, we will miss our Fitz Family that helped us to make Fitz shine bright.”
Fitzpatrick’s Deli & Steakhouse future
Bill and Pat always hoped Fitzpatrick’s would stay in the family. And when Bill Jr. decided to pursue culinary school and eventually take over dinner service at the deli/steakhouse, the plan started coming together.
“Your dad always was a man with a plan,” Pat told her son Sunday. “And that plan is now. We look forward to seeing you explore your vision and your goals for the future. We cannot believe how fast the time went by and never saw our exit sneaking up on us like that. But one thing for sure is we have always known from a young age is that you were meant to run this show some day. We watched you grow and knew you were always destined for this field. We wish you all success in your new role as restaurant entrepreneur and trust you will excel in making good business decisions. Your talents as a chef, and your work-driven attitude make us confident that our Fitz Family, customers and community are in good hands and will continue to prosper with your aspirations for the future. Your father and I could not be more excited to pass on this beloved torch to you in continuing the Fitz legacy.”
Bill Hurst Jr. has proved for more than a decade that Fitzpatrick’s is where he belongs.
“I grew up here, and you turned a young boy with no direction into a chef,” he told his father as he reminisced about being brought to the restaurant because his parents did not have a babysitter. “Filling souffle cups with salsa, sour cream and cranberry sauce … I’d go on all the catering events … I always enjoyed going to work with you. As I got older, you would have me work stations, and I am pretty sure no one thought I was going to get it. Very patiently, over many years, you showed me how to do more and more things. Some things I hated, like going to work at four in the morning. But I still loved it. It was my first taste of what it feels like to put the work in and get something out of it.”
Bill Hurst Jr., along the way, did work for other restaurants, including Chef Steve Serrano’s former Café Loren in Avalon and Davio’s Steakhouse in Philadelphia, but he was glad he returned “home” when he did, and he’s happy to take Fitzpatrick’s to the next level, whatever that may be.
“I learned a lot from Chef Serrano and my time in Philadelphia, and as I was finishing my time in Philly, my dad was opening a new restaurant and wanted to bring dinners to a new level,” Bill Jr. said. “And I was at the perfect timing in my career to help him out with that.”
Like his father, Bill Jr. is a little quiet when it comes to sharing details and exactly what that future vision is, but also like his dad, he will undoubtedly succeed.
“I have a lot of ideas in the works, but none are ready to be presented,” he said. “I want to keep building on the atmosphere that my dad created with a family feel. I want to get more acquainted with our customers and staff and do events that will benefit everyone … things like Somers Point Restaurant Week that have fallen away over the years. When I first started doing dinners there, I had a lot of ambition, and we fell into a menu that fits the town well, and I think we can try to make the menu work halfway between the two of those things.”
One thing evidently clear on Sunday was how close the Hursts are and what the restaurant means to them.
“It’s going to be weird without you,” Bill Jr. said to his father. “The atmosphere you created here is what always brought me back. You have been my greatest mentor, and I couldn’t be more thankful of that. I know you will still be here for advice and to help out, but I think this is going to be like that first day of culinary school when I realize you have already taught me what I need to know. You created a chef. We are grateful to keep the legacy going!”
Bill Sr. said he is happy his son is taking it over.
“It’s always nice to pass it on and pass it down and keep it in the family and keep the memories alive and keep it going,” he said. “This is the third generation now. It’s fantastic.”
Fitzpatrick’s Deli & Steakhouse is located at 650 New Road, Somers Point. It is open daily, with dinner offered Tuesday through Saturday. Call 609-653-8155, or go to FitzpatricksDeli.com
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
