Starboard: 50-plus years of fun, food, friendship

Few will disagree that The Starboard is party central in Dewey Beach. But what a lot of people don’t know is that parties were going on there as far back as the ‘60s. Duke Duggan’s Last Resort Bar was less than a quarter of the size of the present restaurant, and he served spaghetti and meatballs during late-night wintertime singalongs with Dewey and Rehoboth locals. Duke passed away in 1997.

Addition after addition was built as the popular tavern began to catch on after it was purchased by the Hearn family. Young Chip Hearn’s DIY Bloody Mary Bar and his ever-growing assortment of hot sauces were a hit as his fiery collection eventually morphed into the famed Peppers emporium of hot sauces, now in Lewes and online at Peppers.com.  In 1999 the Hearns sold The Starboard to a trio of restaurant partners that included Steve “Monty” Montgomery, a hands-on kind of guy who seems to be everywhere at the same time. At the tender age of 12 he was already selling hot dogs on the sand and renting out umbrellas.

There’s a lot of restaurant know-how behind The Starboard, including some of the guys who also own Bethany Blues in Lewes and Bethany Beach, the Bottom Line in Washington, D.C., the Front Page in Arlington, VA, the Portside Tavern and Nick’s Fish House, both in Baltimore. The good-natured camaraderie at The Starboard extends to the entire staff – especially the bartenders. On busy weekends, lines of customers extend along the highway waiting to be served by their favorite mixologists. Monty says, “People go everywhere to see bands, but they come to The Starboard to see the bartenders.” On hot days, he often hands out bottled water to people waiting in line. When they finally get inside, they make a beeline for their favorite barkeep, each of whom with his or her regular crowd.

The teasing never ends. When Chip Hearn owned the place, he made young Monty scrub the floors and the grease traps. When Chip’s two teenagers worked there, Monty never missed a chance to snap photos of them scrubbing and mopping, then emailing the pictures to their father. What goes around comes around.

The partners at The Starboard have genuine respect for the talent that has made the restaurant and bar what it is today. In fact, it’s #1 in liquor sales for the State of Delaware. For well over half a century, The Starboard has thrived, thanks to loyal customers and good business sense. This one-of-a-kind party central is open 7 days from 8:30 a.m. ‘til 1 a.m. and dishes up hearty breakfasts until 2 p.m. every day.