After a competitive bidding process, DNREC awards a new restaurant contract at the Indian River Marina.
Big Fish Restaurant Group is awarded a contract to operate the restaurant at the marina taking over for Hammerheads Dockside when its 10-year contract expires.
Big Fish will use the existing restaurant space at the marina which is a 1400-square-foot building with an outside usable deck and pergola area of about 1,100 square feet and a grass area off of the deck.
As part of state requirements, the contract for that restaurant goes to a RFP or Request for Proposals for Professional Services to select a vendor and execute a contract.
There were two proposals, Big Fish and Second String, LLC. Second String would have named the site, Dockside at the Indian River and its proposal included a former partner from Hammerheads.
They were rated using seven criteria categories on a 400-point scale, with Big Fish Restaurant Group scoring 390 and Second String, LLC scoring 357.4.
80% of the total score included quality and diversity of the menu, past performance, the action plan, financial stability, creative planning and designing and delivering a successful establishment.
The other 20% is based on payments to the state over the time of the agreement which in this case is 10 years.
"When the period is up we go through the state process for a RFP, and the scoring was very clear on this one. And we're excited to have Big Fish in. I know they've won something like 50 plus awards for their food and best crab cakes and all sorts of different things over the past so many years. It's hard to see a vendor leave, but at the same time we're excited for Big Fish," said Ray Bivens, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation Director.
Rebecca Lovin is the chief of business services for Delaware State Parks. She says Big Fish Restaurant Group will take over next month.
"The new contract starts March 1st so they'll start working on their onboarding process and looking at staffing, and what they need to do in the building. We're always flexible with a vendor trying to help them out, but you know we're definitely looking to be open for the season for business. The current contract with Hammerheads ends at the end of this month."
The 10-year contract expiring on February 28, 2033, and there’s also an option for an additional five years.