Crabby Joe’s on Congamond Road will be razed to make way for a brand new restaurant coming next spring. (Hope E. Tremblay Photo)
SOUTHWICK – Crabby Joe’s Bar and Grill is closed this year, but new owner Mark O’Neill said it will be open next Memorial Day, and it will be brand new.
O’Neill, a property developer from Suffield, Conn., plans to completely raze the building and rebuild on the same site, creating what he called a “mid-scale” restaurant.
“You can come off your boat in flip-flops, or off the bike trail,” O’Neill said, adding “we’re not looking to have loud bands at night – we’re cognizant of the neighbors.”
O’Neill said he is talking to two Suffield chefs as well as local farmers.
“We’d like to have a Farm to Table component,” he said.
O’Neill plans to give back to the lake community through donations to Save North Pond and the Citizens Restoring Congamond, and said Southwick has been very welcoming.
“Everyone I’ve dealt with in this town has been great to us,” he said.
O’Neill will keep the dock, but that’s about it for the existing structure, which includes the boathouse bar and three decks.
“It will be a brand-new building,” he said. “The footprint will probably decrease a little.”
Attorney Frank Caruso said O’Neill plans to name the restaurant Trio’s and the last service will be at 10:30 p.m.
“He’s a very successful developer and he wants to be a very good neighbor,” said Caruso.
Trio’s staff will be TIPS certified and a sprinkler system will be installed.
The Southwick Select Board voted Tuesday to approve the liquor license and manager transfer to O’Neill. He plans to open Memorial Day 2020.
