SOMERS POINT — The Windjammer Café and Bar in Somers Point closed Nov. 7 after serving the area for more than 14 years.
On Nov. 13, City Council passed a resolution approving a person-to-person transfer of the restaurant’s liquor license from SSD Diner LLC to Websters SP LLC.
Owner Steve Tiniakos did not respond to a request for comment.
The restaurant, at 18 MacArthur Blvd., opened in 2011 in the former T.G.I. Friday’s, serving American fare and a full bar menu. The eatery was located in a popular business district en route to Ocean City, providing it with great visibility.
Pat Pierson, a regular at the restaurant, said she would miss it.
“The Windjammer was a nice restaurant for seniors and people who just wanted a good, hot meal,” Pierson said, noting its “nice atmosphere and staff.”
“I think Somers Point lost a middle-of-the-road friendly restaurant.”
According to real estate agent John Walton, the property received multiple offers in excess of $4 million. The restaurant closed abruptly after an offer was accepted, he said.
There was no official word on what would replace Windjammer.
The property sold in 1999 for $900,000. The building consists of 7,200 square feet and is situated on more than an acre of land.
According to a history on the restaurant’s website, Tiniakos arrived in the United States from Athens, Greece, in 1972, never having worked in a restaurant. His many relatives already in the country got him a job in a family diner at the age of 21.
Starting as a dishwasher, he worked his way up to cook, chef, manager and owner.
After years at Shore Diner in Egg Harbor Township, Tiniakos opened The Windjammer with his wife Virginia and sons Stratis and Dimitri “Jimmy” Tiniakos.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff