A series on legendary businesses
By Krystle J Bailey
On the corner of Delaware Avenue and Shore Road in Somers Point lies an iconic establishment that has been owned and operated by the same family for generations. The legendary building that is now Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar has occupied the buzzing Somers Point corner since 1908.
Once serving as a home for Piercy’s General Dry Goods Store, the historical building has seen many transformations over the decades. The store became Piercy Hotel, then Hotel Boulevard, and finally the Davis Hotel before the property was purchased by Walt “Pop” Gregory in 1946. The Philadelphia-based restaurateur bought the old building for his two sons upon their return from World War II.
During the war, Somers Point was a place where laws were slightly bent, and soldiers came to let off some steam. Card parlors, slot machines, and other wartime “vices” were hidden in plain sight, while bars remained underground in the basements of local establishments.
Following the end of Prohibition, liquor service at Gregory’s was moved from the cellar to the dining room, and a nine-seat bar was installed where locals and visitors alike would flock for fresh seafood and cheap drinks.
By 1950, the iconic mahogany horseshoe bar that locals know and love today was installed by Ray Smith Sr. of Somers Point Lumber, and business has been booming ever since. College students swarmed the bar throughout the 1960s for “7 for $1” beers and a good time by the bay.
By 1979, 14-year-old Gregory Gregory was ready to step in as the third generation of Gregory men to run the business. With the bar short-staffed one evening, the sharp-witted teenager worked his first shift pouring beers and serving shots. His father, who was eager to pass on the responsibilities, gave him specific instructions to close up shop. He simply had to take one dime from the register and use the pay phone to call the local police station. They would come to chase everyone out of the bar and drive Gregory home for the evening.
“I went home that night and told my mom that I could do this for the rest of my life,” he told Shore Local. “Now I’m in my 56th year in the bar business.”
Gregory’s restaurant experience over the next several years ranged from bussing tables at Daniel’s on Shore Road in the wintertime to working at the old Mac’s as a busboy. He was hired to set up bus stations when The Crab Trap opened its doors and even worked as a garbageman for the City of Somers Point for a brief time.
When he landed a rowing scholarship at Temple University, Gregory took his big personality and restaurant experience to Philadelphia, where he bartended and bussed tables between classes and rowing. At 21 years old, Gregory landed himself a job at a Philly-based disco house, where he worked his way up to management and ultimately ran three different disco club locations throughout the city.
In 1978 when his father and uncle were preparing to sell the beloved corner bar, Gregory and his cousin Walt jumped in and assumed ownership. With restaurant management experience under his belt and a love for the family-owned business, the duo took over and never looked back.
The current lobster tank in the bar was once a sliced sandwich window, the menu was reserved to one page, and everything was prepared with a slicer and a microwave, but the family’s restaurant remained in operation.
The birth of Taco Tuesday in 1978 was a game-changer for Gregory’s. Gregory, who was still working in Philadelphia, was astonished at the food court lines he saw for a cuisine he had never heard of: Tacos.
Though he didn’t particularly like the first taco he tried, Gregory was a businessman and saw the high demand for the simple meal. Coming back to Somers Point, he demanded that the family serve tacos at least one night per week. The concept took off, and week after week, the dining room filled with locals enjoying 3-for-1 tacos every Tuesday night. Gregory’s remains the birthplace of the now-trademarked Taco Tuesday and Thursday. Though the recipes have evolved, crowds of taco lovers continue to fill the bar each week.
Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, Gregory’s menu is expansive and includes some of the best dishes in South Jersey. From salads and sandwiches to meat and seafood entrees, Gregory’s continues to wow guests and welcome generations of loyal patrons. Paul and Joe Gregory are both culinary school graduates and decorated gold medalist chefs. Along with their wives, the fourth generation of Gregory men is taking over more and more ownership responsibilities every day. They continue to serve Somers Point with the same passion and commitment as their father and grandfather.
“My grandfather was considered a true pioneer hotelier and restaurant owner in the 30s and 40s,” explains Gregory Gregory. “My father and my uncle did a great job with it from the 50s through the 60s into the 70s. They were a little better than my grandfather. Walt and I were much better than my father and uncle as far as expansion. Now the boys and their wives have taken it to a whole new level. The food is at the highest level it’s ever been. I think Gregory’s is only going to go higher and continue to become stronger and better.”
As for Gregory Gregory, he looks forward to continuing to give back to the town that raised him as the chairman of Bay Fest and the director of Kids’ Activities for the Good Old Days Festival. He also serves as the chairman of the Great Egg Harbor River Council.
The ownership, as well as the customer base at Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, remain generational and an important piece of Somers Point history.
Krystle J Bailey is a multimedia journalist, author and poet. Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
