Barracudas Planning its Comeback, Thankful for Neighborhood Support
“This is not the end of Barracudas.”
Barrucadas General Manager Samantha Stinchcomb, who made this statement to SouthBMore.com today, along with Barracudas Owner William “Billy” Hughes and Barracudas staff have been cleaning up the restaurant since a fire damaged the Locust Point property on Sunday. Along with the clean up, the team is trying to figure out how to reopen in phases.
Stinchcomb said they still don’t have a lot of answers yet, and met with the insurance company today, but would like to open for outdoor patio seating as soon as possible. The team will work with the Baltimore City Health Department to figure this out, but Stinchcomb said there will need to be safe access to bathrooms. Barracudas has outdoor grills and smokers and recently opened its “sunset bar” in front of the restaurant.
The damage, which the team believes was caused by an electrical fire, started at the front of the second-floor dining room. Due to smoke, ash, and water, there is some damage throughout the entire building.
“The main concern is keeping our staff working,” said Stinchcomb.
With everything the restaurant industry has been through in the past 16 months dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and supply and inflation issues, Hughes described the fire as a huge setback. “We made it through what we thought was the worst thing imaginable and then this,” added Stinchcomb.
Stinchcomb noted business in recent months was “what we dreamed of for the past year.”
Barracudas recently added awnings to its outdoor seating area, and large crowds were seen most days outdoors. “We had a good staff, regular customers, and things were running so, so well,” said Stinchcomb.
When asked about the changes in the office work environment and how it impacted business at lunch, Stinchcomb said: “We no longer had a dinner and lunch rush, we had an all-day rush,” noting how most customers are now around the neighborhood all day, rather than at an off-site office.
Barracudas has also always been a soccer bar, and was getting good crowds for the UEAFA European Championship and recent club matches. Barracudas was planning an event for the UEAFA European Championship this Sunday.
While this has been a difficult few days for the team, they are appreciative of the support they have received from the community. A Barracudas customer launched a GoFundMe that has already raised more than $5,700.
“It’s awesome,” said Stinchcomb. “For Billy to accept help is difficult. The way the neighborhood and community has stepped up for us is unbelievable.”
“Our staff and community really came together. It’s us and our customers that make Barracudas. And, as long as we have all of us here, we’ll be okay,” said Stinchcomb.
Photo courtesy of Barracudas
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
