Shaka Shack reopens in Millville
Shaka Shack take-out restaurant in Millville has opened for the 2020 season with newly finished renovations.
Clay Reynolds opened Shaka Shack in September 2019 after his sister Samantha closed Mermaid Galley in the same location.
Reynolds has made a few changes over the winter, including enclosing the porch area for added counter space.
Why the name Shaka? Shaka is a hand gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended outward from a closed fist. It is used as a greeting or to express approval, solidarity and more. In the 1960s, surfers adopted the Shaka sign from Hawaiians and it has spread around the world. It is part of the surf culture.
Anyone who knows Reynolds is aware he is a man of few words and an avid surfer. The Shaka represents the positive, laid-back vibe he expels.
While Shaka Shack is a take-out restaurant, patrons are welcome to dine outside at its picnic tables on a sandy beach-like area. Guests can take selfies next to the custom-made decorative surfboards, and play a game of cornhole while dining and sipping on their favorite smoothie.
If a large group of surfers or groms is ready to chow down, Shaka Shack can prepare large amounts of grub for their party.
Shaka Shack’s party menu consists of larger-size quantities of items and some items not on the regular menu.
At 22, Reynolds already has entrepreneurial experience. At the age of 14, he started shaping custom surfboards under the brand name Reynolds’ Back Door. In May 2018, Reynolds and his girlfriend Logan Galbreath opened Prickly Gal Boutique and Surf Shop next door to Shaka Shack.
Many of the recipes Reynolds is using were passed down from his grandparents. In the early 1970s, his maternal grandparents, Margaret and Sanford Justice, started Pitchcroft Restaurant on Smith Island in Ewell, Md. Shaka Shack’s menu includes Eastern Shore recipes from his grandparents’ restaurant, including the delicious Smith Island Cake.
Reynolds’ paternal grandparents from Laurel were also excellent cooks whose recipes have been passed down as well.
Reynolds sticks to traditional Eastern Shore cooking including seafood staples like crab cakes, soft shell crabs, oysters, shrimp and fish; but he also puts his own modern spin on many of the dishes, like his delicious fish and shrimp tacos, and various wraps.
The Smith Island Cakes are all made on premises. They are nine thin layers of cake between layers of icing, traditionally yellow cake with chocolate fudge icing. It is Maryland’s official state dessert.
Shaka Shack offers many other flavors of cakes and icings by the slice or whole cake. Several Smith Island Cakes will be available to grab and go. With 24-hour notice, custom orders are available. For those who just want a little something sweet, Shaka’s cake balls will hit the spot.
Call or check Facebook for daily specials. Phone orders will be accepted. Door Dash can deliver.
Shaka Shack will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will extend hours during the summer. The address is 35308 Atlantic Ave., Millville, next to Prickly Gal Boutique and Surf Shop. For more information, call 302-604-0858 or visit the Shaka Shack page on Facebook.
