When Atlantic City residents and visitors, past and present, talk about the long-gone restaurants they miss, a few names invariably surface again and again. Certainly there’s Lou’s in Ventnor, profiled several times in these pages, followed by Zaberers and perhaps Hackney’s. But unquestionably at the top of the list of fondly remembered eateries in the city is Captain Starn’s.
Visiting the impressively renovated Inlet section of the city today, it’s hard to believe there were once two ultra-popular restaurants on the northern end of the Boardwalk: Captain Starn’s and Hackney’s. Both were in business for decades.
Starn’s, which could seat 750 guests, was smaller than Hackney’s, which could seat more than 3,000. But Starn’s was much more than a restaurant. In addition to the great seafood – and having visited there when I was a child, I remember the food being great – Starn’s was also an amusement pier of sorts and a major tourist destination.
Writer Jim Waltzer highlighted the restaurant’s other attractions in a 2005 article for Atlantic City Weekly.
“A fleet of sailboats and motorboats provided sightseeing excursions round the island,” Waltzer wrote. “A seaplane took the courageous on thrill rides, ending its run with a nerve-wracking dive into the ocean. Starn’s may have offered a four-star stuffed flounder and broiled Alaskan crab, but it was the atmosphere that kept the place packed.”
It was such a popular fixture during its run, roughly from 1940 to 1979, that there was even a trolley service that ran directly to Starn’s from Longport.
And yes, there was a Captain Starn.
Clarence Starn, born in 1890, began his career around 1912 as a deep-sea charter boat captain, running fishing trips and ocean cruises from a sailboat docked at the Pennsylvania Railroad pier in Atlantic City’s Inlet section. He later purchased the pier, grew his business and eventually opened Captain Starn’s Restaurant and Boating Center in June 1940.
History shows he was quite the adventurer, storyteller and businessman. At one time, he was a pilot for Eastern Airlines and eventually owned his own plane.
About 11 years after the restaurant opened, he was honored by Anheuser-Busch as Budweiser’s leading seller in Atlantic City. Budweiser brought its famous Clydesdale horses to Captain Starn’s to celebrate. But it’s been said that his proudest accomplishment came in April 1922, when his crew, aboard the fishing boat W.F. Favorite, caught a 1,780-pound basking shark. A photo of Starn and the shark hung in the restaurant for years.
Rides and other attractions aside, what drew generations of families – who often stood in line for close to an hour – was the food. “Fresh” was the byword for 39 years, and Starn’s even had an in-house fish market to ensure it.
The menu, which noted that all dishes were cooked to order and required a 30-minute wait, was extensive, and the prices were remarkably reasonable. For example, a 1955 menu listed the famed fried seafood combo – shrimp, oysters, scallops, deviled clams and fish fillet – for $2.75. For a dollar more, diners could order a Double Deck Lobster Platter, consisting of two 1-pound lobsters with drawn butter (bread and butter included). At the time, you couldn’t beat that.
A tragic event early in the restaurant’s history almost destroyed the thriving business. The hurricane of Sept. 14, 1944 brought 91 mph winds, torrential rain and destruction to Atlantic City, including severe damage to homes, hotels, amusement piers, the Boardwalk itself and Captain Starn’s. But Starn’s emerged from the storm bigger and better than ever.
Indicative of its enduring popularity is a Facebook group dedicated to memories of the venue from those who worked there and those who visited. Four posts, in particular, personify the Starn’s experience:
Bruce Egnor: “My father, Captain Eddie Egnor, ran the Captain Starn’s boats for fishing trips, half and full days, and special charter trips. He was there from the mid-1950s until they closed permanently. I, as well as many of my siblings, cousins and some friends, worked there over many years in the 1960s and 1970s. It was an awesome experience.”
Jane Burkhardt Deiner: “I remember coming here in the 1960s, all the way from Long Island! My parents loved it here. I think they found it on their honeymoon!”
Josh Kimmel: “I was born in 1951 and we had a home in Longport. I remember going there all the time. Great memories. Great place.”
Steve Hipps: “Remembering Captain Starn’s, I can almost smell the unique aquatic aroma of the whole Inlet area. I can recall getting ‘dressed’ for dinner there when I was about 10.”
Clarence “Captain” Starn died May 19, 1969. By that time, Atlantic City was in decline. Though the restaurant hung on, the one battle Captain Starn’s couldn’t win was the fight against time. There was no longer room in the Atlantic City marketplace for a 750-seat family restaurant – especially one located in an area that had become crime-ridden and unsafe.
History had passed it by, and Captain Starn’s closed in 1979. Neighboring Hackney’s hung on for a few more years, but after downsizing in 1963 and suffering a major fire, it was no longer the attraction it once was.
There’s no doubt Clarence Starn would be pleased with the revitalization of the Inlet area in recent years. Showman that he was, he might have even considered reopening Captain Starn’s. After all, anything can happen on the Boardwalk.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
