By Scott Cronick
If you grew up at the Jersey Shore, or if you moved here and have lived here a very long time, it’s super easy to take things for granted.
Sometimes, we forget that we live where people save their money all year to come here and have their family vacation. Whenever you bite into that next slice of Manco & Manco’s Pizza, devour a White House sub or wake up to blueberry pancakes at Gilchrist, remember others only get to do that once a year … if they are lucky!
One of those shore institutions that we should never take for granted is Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar.
The expression “If these walls could talk …” rings so true when it comes to this shore institution. Fortunately, the walls at Gregory’s have a representative in Gregory Gregory, the charismatic co-owner of the legendary Somers Point eatery. Gregory not only invented and trademarked the concept and phrase “Taco Tuesday,” but he has one of the sharpest wits – and a memory to match. He makes going to Gregory’s worth the trip just for the chance to hear one of his infamously bad jokes or, better yet, reminisce about the restaurant’s storied past in a manner that rivals Mark Twain.
Gregory’s has been gracing Shore Road in Somers Point with its presence since 1948. And, as Gregory will tell you, restaurants are doing something right if they make it five years. If you can stay in business 76 years, you must be doing a lot of things right.
And Gregory’s does just that. Great food? Awesome staff? Cool atmosphere? Check, check, check.
When you walk into Gregory’s, you feel like you’re in a special place. On the one side of Gregory’s, a 50-foot, gorgeous, meticulously-cared-for mahogany bar is the centerpiece of a nostalgic room that could be the set of a movie. Whether it’s the 55-pound mounted striper on the wall caught by Elmer in the 1960s in Cape Cod, the lobster tank where people still pick which lobster they will crack open that night, the stone fireplace with a trophy deer head mounted above it or the stained glass front windows, Gregory’s is that time capsule of a shore family restaurant that could never be duplicated.
“We like to think we do a few things right here,” said Gregory, who represents the third generation of family ownership at Gregory’s along with his cousin Walt. “People may come because they know us or because of Taco Tuesday or because it’s been part of their lives forever, but if you didn’t serve them good food at fair prices, none of that would matter. You’re only as good as the last meal you served.”
Luckily for Gregory’s, they have two talented, classically trained chefs who also happen to have the last name Gregory –Paul and Joe, fourth-generation owners – creating and executing a menu that pays homage to the storied past of Gregory’s but offers shore staples like fresh seafood, wings and burgers alongside comfort food ranging from cheesesteak egg rolls to chicken pot pie.
But … more on the food later. Let’s set the table with some history.
History in the making
Gregory’s has all of the ingredients of a Jersey Shore legend.
Before it was Gregory’s, the building on the corner of Delaware Avenue and Shore Road was constructed in 1908 from an assortment of wood salvaged from the bay after a storm. Each door is a different size, and the unique shape of the roof borrows from a design from the hull of a ship.
Originally a general store and then a hotel under multiple names, it was the Davis Hotel through Prohibition up until Walter “Pop” Gregory, the owner of Walt’s Café in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, decided he wanted to move his family to the shore because he didn’t like the direction his Philly neighborhood was headed. Good call.
“After Prohibition, a guy went up to my grandfather and said, ‘Walt, do you want to buy a liquor license?’ for his Kensington bar,” Gregory Gregory said. “My grandfather said. ‘Why would I need a liquor license? And the guy said, “’I thought you would want one since you served all through Prohibition.’ So he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take a liquor license.’ But all during that time, they summered in Somers Point. My dad learned how to swim at the Somers Point beach with Joe DiOrio Sr.”
Once “Pop” made his mind up, he approached the Davis Hotel and began asking about buying the business.
“He said, ‘Do you make money in the bar in the cellar (where the bar was relocated during Prohibition)?’ And they said, ‘No, we don’t really sell much alcohol.’ He then asked, ‘Do you make any money upstairs in the dining room?’ He said, ‘Nah, we don’t sell much food.’ So, my grandfather said, ‘Well, how do you make any money?’ And the owner said, ‘From the girls and the kick back.’ It was a brothel in World War II. And the owner said, ‘That’s why I’m selling. The police chief said I have to either get rid of the girls and turn it into a hotel or sell it. And I’m selling it.’”
So, “Pop” bought the Davis for his sons Walter and Elmer, and when they returned from the war, it was named the Gregory Hotel.
“He paid $16,000 for a house by the bay, this building and a parking lot across the street,” Gregory Gregory said. “His buddies from Kensington told him he would never get his money out of this place. They thought he was crazy.”
The bar was moved upstairs a year after buying it, and in 1950 Ray Smith Sr. built the classic Philippine mahogany horseshoe bar that is still there today and looks better than ever thanks to the family closing the bar every other year or so to meticulously maintain it and keep it looking as beautiful as it ever has. The Gregorys also say it’s the most comfortable bar in South Jersey thanks to its modified Chicago rail for arm comfort along with its step for you to perch your feet on.
“It’s a production and a family affair when we work on that bar,” said Carrie Gregory, a fourth-generation owner who has been married to Paul for more than 20 years. “It’s a true art. Most places, no one wants to eat at the bar. They have a drink at the bar and then go have dinner at a table. But if you walk into Gregory’s on a Friday night, you see people sitting at the bar with the menus up and ready to order. They love to sit at that bar and eat their meal.”
The bars of Gregory are a tale in themselves. Aside from the main bar, the smaller bar in the dining room came from a place called the Bala Inn, now known by most as Pier 4 in Somers Point. Elmer bought that mahogany bar for $50, and there are other pieces of it that are not used. The beautiful Red Oak bar that was installed two years ago in the Back Yard Bar came from Braca’s, a legendary Sea isle restaurant, who gave the bar to Gregory’s for free. Other pieces from that bar can also be found on The Porch, a relatively new addition to Gregory’s that took advantage of some empty upstairs indoor space and its adjacent porch that overlooks Delaware Avenue. A piece from the main mahogany bar, which once extended to the fireplace, can also be found on The Porch.
The next generation
In 1951 and 1952, third generation owners Walt and Gregory were born, and they worked there from the time they were 10 years old, wiping down windshields in the parking lot. They both took a little break from the business, but in 1979 Walter convinced Gregory – at least that’s how Gregory Gregory remembers it – to buy the restaurant from their fathers.
They remodeled the building, but they didn’t mess with success, keeping the focus on fresh seafood and inexpensive drinks.
“Even to this day, we are not a trendy place; nothing is fancy and sparkly,” Carrie Gregory said. “It’s comfortable and clean, and you are always going to get an amazing meal. The staff is friendly, and the place just leaves you with a good feeling.”
Comfort food at its finest
As much as Gregory’s changes, it stays the same. Locals and tourists still flock to Gregory’s for their fresh seafood, something Gregory’s has served since its inception.
“Back in the day, the menu said, ‘Fresh fish daily caught form our own boats,’ because the bay was so full of fish that my grandfather would go out and catch fish every day,” Gregory Gregory said. “On the menu, there would be weakfish, striped bass, sea bass, flounder and kingfish. In the early ’80s, Walt’s dad (Walter) would catch baby flounder, and Gregory’s would serve the same baby flounder dinner for $4 that the Knife & Fork got $12 for and were famous for.”
While today’s menu certainly differs from past incarnations, you can still feast on whole Northern Maine Canadian lobsters that you can pick from the 48-degree, cold-water tank located next to the bar. You can also ask the server what the catch of the day is, and items like the seafood combo with baked shrimp, scallops, flounder and crab cake, will never go away.
Something that will also remain a staple is Gregory’s snapper soup, which has been around so long that one of the tall tales about Gregory’s revolves around a ghost who happened to love the turtle concoction.
“He would come in, and he would be wearing a navy blue coat and grumble that he wanted a bowl of snapper soup,” Gregory Gregory said. “When the server would walk away, he would shout, ‘And make sure it’s hot and don’t forget the sherry!’ And when the server would turn around, he would be gone.”
“I think there are some friendly spirits,” Carrie Gregory confessed.
Speaking of sherry, you can still add it to your soup, and Gregory or Walt won’t stand watching you like their grandfather once did.
“Our grandfather would stand there while they put their sherry in, or they would drink the bottle of sherry!” Gregory Gregory said with a laugh. “He would let them pour in what they wanted, and then he would take it back.”
Other items that won’t go away anytime soon include the softshell crabs, which are in season now, and the best French dip at the shore featuring Gregory’s famous roast beef with choice of cheese and served with creamy horseradish along with au jus to dip in. The sandwich is a homage to when Gregory’s had a carving station for their roast beef sandwiches where the lobster tank now sits.
“We roast all of our meats in house,” Carrie Gregory said. “The roast beef, the corned beef for our Reuben, the turkey. They are staples.”
Reinventing the classics
Although longtime customers may come for the classics, Gregory Gregory said the restaurant turned to a new, exciting chapter when Joe and Paul Gregory came on as owners of the restaurant in the mid-1990s. Both came after graduating from the Academy of Culinary Arts in Mays Landing and then going their separate ways to get other experience.
Paul Gregory worked in Bermuda, where he served a sous chef of The Wharf Tavern, a spot known for serving hundreds and hundreds of people in a short window of time because cruise ships docked nearby.
Joe Gregory stayed local and worked at the Showboat Casino, also as a sous chef.
“One time, a chef approached Joe and said, ‘Your old man sells a lot of lobsters over at Gregory’s, right? How about making the lobster bisque?’,” Gregory Gregory remembered. “The guy said, ‘Here’s 100 lobsters, and there’s the steam kettle.’ So, Joey steamed them up and he was breaking the tails off, and the chef stopped him, telling him they don’ t do that at the casino. He told Joe to throw them away and to go get the canned lobster. Joe said, ‘My father would beat my butt if he saw me throwing out good lobster tails.’ That’s the casino world for you.”
Gregory said the Somers Point restaurant went to another level thanks to Paul and Joe Gregory.
“It all turned when the boys came home,” Gregory Gregory said. “They not only brought their love of Gregory’s back with them, but they brought back all of this experience they learned on their own away from Gregory’s.”
“Their experiences made Gregory’s better,” Carrie Gregory agreed. “They didn’t just know Gregory’s anymore. They now knew management and cooking and how to order and supply chain and menu designs and so many aspects of the business. I agree it was a turning point for Gregory’s. They are super-duper proud of what we have here, and what better way to showcase what they learned than to continue this tradition and legacy.”
Carrie and Joe’s wife, Amanda, also helped evolve the business, as well. Both work as office managers, handling everything from organizing private parties to booking music.
“I learned a lot,” said Carrie Gregory, a former teacher who joined the business after having three children and contemplating returning to teaching. “And I learn more every day. I was almost going to go back teaching, but Paul said, ‘We really need you at the restaurant.’ I didn’t know the business, but I know good food. And if you have good food and a good product, everything else should fall into place. We come to work proud of what we do every day. I love teaching, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything. It’s so much more than office work. It’s about community, it’s making customers happy whether it’s booking events like a private bridal show or creating celebratory events for customers. I love seeing our customers happy. I have no regrets. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
The fifth generation of Gregory’s is already working at the famed institution. Paul’s and Carrie’s three children – 20-year-old Emma, 19-year-old Madeline and 15-year-old Jack – are already doing everything from busing tables to hosting to serving tables. And Joe’s and Amanda’s children – Sadie, 10, and Cody, 8 – seem destined to be working there as soon as they are old enough.
“Our three kids are going to school and figuring it out like we all did when we were their age,” Paul Gregory said. “We encourage them to work here at Gregory’s or do whatever it is that makes them happy.”
Gregory Gregory agreed: “It’s whatever makes them happy. But Jack bused tables here last summer, and when summer was over, I asked him what the best part of the job was. And he said, ‘I liked talking to customers the most.’ And I said, ‘Hey, that’s my job!’”
What a legacy
Gregory’s is known for so much more than just being a family restaurant and bar. It’s known for creating memories. A business around for this many years has endured nearly everything, including family members’ deaths and retirements, wars, bad economies, competition, COVID, a car crashing into its front entrance and even a fire that shut the place down but led to the place receiving a massive makeover. They even had to overcome Taco Bell.
Gregory Gregory really did create the term Taco Tuesday and trademarked it. Without getting too deep in that story, Taco Bell basically bullied Gregory’s into losing its state trademark last year.
Gregory also said his grandfather coined the term U-Peel shrimp and actually gave out shrimp for free at the bar because it was so cheap.
But it’s the family ties that keep people coming to Gregory’s.
“Somers Point is tough if you are not an owner-operator,” Gregory Gregory said. “A lot of places have come and gone. I tell people the difference between a place like Gregory’s and a place like Applebee’s is when someone comes in here and asks for Mr. Gregory, we ask, ‘Which one?’ Over at Applebee’s, there’s no Harry Appleby.”
The bar’s longtime events, including Oktoberfest and Mardi Gras, feature some of the most authentic German and Cajun food you will have in this part of the country. For St. Patrick’s Day, they generally go through about 600 pounds of corned beef and more gallons of potato leek soup than they can count. Gregory’s was also the place that used to offer seven beers for $1, three tacos for $1 and could probably fill a church full of people who met there and later got married.
“What’s neat is keeping these traditions alive but also adding some new things, as well,” said Carrie Gregory, noting Gregory’s won Burger Bash and then launched a Burger Night on Wednesdays. “We have people coming in with their aging grandparents who came here in the ’50s and ’60s and reminisce with us. It’s nice when you see a Facebook post or hear someone talk about how their parents came here, they came here and now their kids are hanging out here. There’s not many places you can say that about.”
It’s also, like “Cheers,” the place where everyone knows your name. including longtime employees who have been around Gregory’s longer than most millennials have been alive, including George Gerety, aka “Hawk,” who began bartending at Gregory’s in 1981.
“We are the kind of place where you will find something on the menu for everyone,” Carrie Gregory said. “It’s about being comfortable. When you come in here, you feel like you are getting a big hug around you … a warm and fuzzy feeling. But we are also a bar where people come and hang out and have fun and have a cold beer or a beautiful cosmo while you converse across the bar. We are whatever you make of it. And that’s what makes Gregory’s a special place.”
Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar is located at 900 Shore Road, Somers Point. They are open seven days a week form 11:30 a.m. Go to GregorysBar.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.
