Here’s some news that will whet carnivores’ appetites along the southern beaches. Regan Derrickson is bringing 1776 Steakhouse to the Ocean View and Bethany Beach area.
The owner of Nalu Hospitality Group plans to purchase the property housing Big Fish Grill in Ocean View and convert the two-story restaurant into a second 1776 Steakhouse.
Settlement is scheduled for Oct. 14, after which Big Fish Grill will close and renovations will begin. Derrickson expects 1776 Steakhouse Ocean View to open March 18.
The acquisition includes the building and land, now owned by Big Fish Restaurant Group founder Eric Sugrue and partner Ethan Rhodes. The restaurant is currently managed by Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group, which acquired a controlling interest in Big Fish in 2024.
The Ocean View restaurant will be Derrickson’s first venture south of the Indian River Inlet, but the Sussex County native is still expanding in familiar territory.
“I kind of want to stay local,” Derrickson said. “I know everybody here. I know all my [subcontractors]. I grew up with them all.”
Derrickson’s hospitality group is named for Nalu Surf Bar & Grill, which he and his wife, Kim, opened in 2008. A Rehoboth Beach location followed in 2019. Sugrue initially approached Derrickson about opening a Nalu in the Ocean View building, but Derrickson decided 1776 was a better fit for the property and demographic.
Derrickson purchased the established Midway steakhouse in January 2026 and reopened it after an extensive renovation. Chef and restaurateur Lion Gardner, his partner in the Midway operation, will also be a partner in the new endeavor.
Business at the Midway restaurant has remained strong, with customers regularly waiting for happy-hour seats. Derrickson said Ocean View is far enough away that the second location should not siphon business from the original. It will also give 1776 access to customers from Ocean View, Bethany Beach and Ocean City in a market dominated by seafood and seasonal restaurants.
The Ocean View restaurant’s two floors will offer different experiences but the same menu. Derrickson envisions an energetic first floor with live music and a separate pub menu. Upstairs will feature softer lighting, Frank Sinatra-style music and a quieter, more intimate atmosphere.
The interior will echo the Midway restaurant’s plush leather banquettes and “old-school New York feel with a modern colonial twist,” Derrickson said. The exterior is expected to feature white colonial styling and navy shutters, while historical objects and memorabilia will reinforce the 1776 theme.
This is not the first time Sugrue and Derrickson have inked a deal. Sugrue and his partners sold The Summer House to Nalu Hospitality Group in 2022.
Unlike the ambitious renovations of The Summer House and 1776 Midway, the Ocean View conversion will be primarily aesthetic. The building already has plumbing and electrical systems, fire suppression, two elevators, four walk-in refrigerators and a kitchen twice the size of any in Derrickson’s portfolio. Plans include enclosing the outdoor patio to expand the first-floor dining area.
The restaurant will operate year-round, initially maintaining the same hours as Big Fish Grill. Derrickson is not planning a banquet operation, although the design includes a 14-seat private room.
Although he is not actively seeking more expansion opportunities, Derrickson remains open to them, particularly when an established local restaurant has a strong identity like The Summer House or 1776.
“Anything I take over, build or create as a new concept must be something that has me levitating off the floor with excitement,” Derrickson said. “Otherwise, it’s just too hard.”
Employees will be able to train at Midway before the new location opens, giving the team established recipes and operating systems from the start.
“We’ll have all that work already done and vetted for the opening,” Derrickson said. “That’s an advantage we did not have when we opened Midway.”
