Phillips Seafood closes Ocean City crab house

After 66 years in business, the original Phillips Crab House on 21st Street in Ocean City has closed, the local restaurant chain announced Monday.

The beloved chain’s only remaining restaurants are located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and in several airports and casinos up and down the East Coast, according to its website. Phillips also put the Crab House building up for sale, according to the company’s post on Facebook Monday evening.

“While it is extremely difficult for our family to say goodbye to the Crab House, we will take with us all the memories from the days and nights with our coworkers and guests, the lessons we have all learned from working together as a strong team, and the friendships we have grown over the years,” the post read.

In 2018, Phillips closed its other Ocean City location, shortly after attempting to rebrand it as a Mexican-style cantina. The property in northern Ocean City, which included a large restaurant and its parking lot, sold in January 2020 for $2.2 million, property records show.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Phillips received a $8.2 million grant from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund — $3.2 million for its Ocean City restaurant and $5 million for its location in Baltimore.

Brice and Shirley Phillips, who grew up on Hooper’s Island, opened their first Ocean City crab shack in 1956, according to the Phillips website, after they had a surplus of crabs one season at Brice’s family’s seafood packing plant, according to the Phillips website. Over the years, their effort expanded to include a 1,400-seat dining room at the beach, and several other restaurants in the region.

The chain also sells a number of seafood products like crab meat, crab cakes and bread fish in grocery stores, according to its website.

This story may be updated.