Avon Pavilion, open more than 30 years, has closed

Ten years ago next month, the Atlantic Ocean — churned into a frenzy by superstorm Sandy — rushed over the sand of the Avon beach and into Avon Pavilion, a restaurant on the borough's boardwalk.

It wasn't the first time the restaurant was destroyed. Twenty years earlier, a most unexpected December nor'easter blew through.

Sandy leveled the eatery, and owners Michelle and Rob Fishman and their staff — including Chef Ken Samuels, who had led the kitchen since 1991 — spent the following summer serving diners in trailers and tents along the beach while their restaurant was renovated.

"But we recovered," Michelle told The Asbury Park Press in 2015.

Avon Pavilion opened each year around Mother's Day and closed shortly after Labor Day, but this summer was its last. The Fishmans announced the restaurant's closure on Monday, Sept. 26.

"It's been a magical career, and it's really been all based on relationships," Rob said. "Relationships with vendors, with guests, with our whole staff — it’s really been wonderful."

The Fishmans shared the news on social media.

"It is with a very heavy heart to announce that the Avon Pavilion will be closing its doors after 33 incredible and wonderful years," they wrote. "It feels impossible to adequately express our gratitude for the lifelong friendships and memories created at the Avon Pavilion."

"Generations of employees and guests alike, united as a community through 33 years of triumphs and tribulations... celebrations, graduations, marriages, births and life events," they shared. "Together, we rebuilt the Avon Pavilion from the ground up after storms and floods, several times over. We persevered through a global pandemic."

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Rob first began selling concessions on the Shore's boardwalks nearly 50 years ago, and worked along the beach in Bradley Beach, Belmar, Spring Lake, Sea Girt and Deal.

"I started at age 19 while I was an undergrad at Rutgers, during my freshman year," he said. "I started at a place in Bradley Beach, The Jetty Joint. We sold hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, knishes."

The summer of 2023 would have been Avon Pavilion's 34th season. The decision to close was emotional, Fishman said, in part because of the staff's bonds with customers.

"We treat everyone as a guest coming for a meal to the house," he added.

The restaurant was part of many family's vacation traditions, and hundreds of customers shared memories and photos on the restaurant's Facebook page.

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"I spent my childhood summers in Avon with my grandparents," wrote one user. "So many special memories, especially nightly walks to get ice cream. So many breakfasts with my mom. Thank you for creating such memorable summers at the Jersey Shore for so many people like me."

"I worked the take-out window on the boardwalk for four summers (in the early '90s)," shared another. "There is nothing I loved more than opening that window at 5 a.m. and not a soul was on the beach yet."

"You are such an integral part of what makes the Avon Boardwalk and beach such a classy and special place," reads another comment.

The Avon Pavilion building is owned by the borough of Avon, Fishman said, and a public bidding will be held to find a new lessee for the restaurant building and an attached boutique.

"It is our sincere hope that the new tenant who moves onto the magnificent Avon-by-the-Sea boardwalk cherishes the beautiful town and community as much as we have," the Fishmans said.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, and for more Jersey Shore food news, subscribe to our weekly Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Avon Pavilion, open more than 30 years, has closed