I visited the Roadside in Duck NC last week to sit down with Chris Frank and talk about some upcoming events and what goes on behind the scenes at the restaurant. If you haven’t checked out the Roadside, it’s on Duck road right in the middle of town. They have an outdoor “back bar” where you might find a bluegrass band and mint juleps one night, or an oyster roast with a freshly made Bloody Mary for brunch. It’s a great place to kick back after a day at the beach and enjoy one of the Outer Banks’ best combinations of food, drink and entertainment.
So what do you do at the Roadside?
I’d say I’m a jack-of-all-trades right now, I do a little bit of everything. I run the night crew, but wherever I’m needed, I’m there. I’ve been here for around 4 years now, and I love what I do.
What’s the backstory of the Roadside?
Well The Roadside in Duck NC has been here for 25 years now. My wife’s parents opened the restaurant in 1994, so that’s 25 years right? It started out as a small diner with a bar, only a couple of tables, and then over the years it’s grown steadily into what it is today. We put a patio on, made a downstairs dining area, created a backyard bar area, and we’re still adding things today. Mark (the owner) has really put a lot of work into the Roadside over the years.
Is this something you’ve always wanted to do?
I wouldn’t say always, but once I got into the kitchen I knew it was where I belonged. I love to cook for people, so I definitely enjoy what I do, but I wouldn’t say it was always what I wanted to do. But when I started my first restaurant job when I was 19, I knew that I wanted to work in the restaurant business. And more specifically, I wanted to be in the kitchen and be able to cook for people.
So I hear there have been some conflicts between restaurants and the Duck town council, is there anything you can tell me about that?
It’s always a delicate balance between homeowners and business owners when it comes to ordinances and regulations. Currently we don’t have any conflicts and Mark has done everything the town has asked of him, so we’re in good shape for now. We’re just trying to play ball and keep good relationships with everyone here in Duck.
How do you settle on your seasonal menus?
Well, we have 4 different menus every year. We just changed to our winter menu and brought back beef stew in a bread bowl which is a big favorite. As far as how we come up with the menus, Roxanne (head chef) gets final say on everything but we all talk about it in the weeks leading up to the menu change. We all put our ideas in and then Roxanne makes the final decision. But we try to mix things up and keep things fresh so if you eat with us in the spring it’s a different set of options than what you might find in the winter.
What can we look forward to in 2020?
A lot more Backyard stuff. We’re always expanding back there, we’ve got a better stage now and a new fireplace, so hopefully more flatbread pizza nights and potentially some chicken wings on the grill. A lot of fun stuff we’d like to do in 2020 at the Roadside in Duck NC. Of course on New Year’s Eve we’ve got the crab pot drop at 10:00, that’s a lot of fun, we’ve usually got a big band playing in the Backyard Bar. We have a fire going so it stays warm back there and everybody has a good time. And that’s really what we want to accomplish in 2020 – to provide a good time for everyone who visits us at Roadside.
You can visit the Roadside Bar & Grill at 1193 Duck Rd. Duck NC
Their phone number is 252-261-5729
Visit their Facebook page or their website to see what’s on the menu!
https://www.facebook.com/The-Roadside-147281665292486/
https://obxroadside.com/