Fresh Off The Boat, Orange Beach, Alabama

Fresh Off The Boat Restaurant at the SanRoc Cay Marina in Orange Beach began in 2014 at The Hangout Festival, sort of… That’s where Jerr McCutchen and David Buster met. Jerr, who is from Mobile, handled all the entertainment aspects of the festival, while David was the food guy.

Quickly the duo became close friends, and the idea of starting a food truck came up in 2016. Talk is cheap, and before Jerr knew it, David had purchased a food truck, and together they were in business. Beachin’ Eats opened in 2018 and is still operating today.

Fresh Off The Boat came into being after their attorney friend, who also owned a restaurant called SALT in SanRoc Cay Marina, called him. “He was having a hard time juggling both a restaurant and a law practice and wanted me to come to look at the space,” says Jerr. 

In August 2019, he found he loved the location and the large kitchen and thought they could grow their restaurant enterprise there. “I got my ducks in a row and broke the news to David and significant others a month later. We decided to go for it, did a remodel, and brightened it up a bit.” He described their concept as “polished casual dining.”

The two sat down to decide what they would call their new venture. “We were throwing all sorts of names on the table, but nothing seemed to strike the right cord. We tried combinations of seafood and coastal themes, and I blurted out, “How about “Fresh Off The Boat?” After a bit of thought, it stuck.

By this time, Jerr had been working at the Flora-Bama, handling all its music bookings. He left Flora-Bama in January 2020 with plans to open Fresh Off The Boat in April. At the same time, their lawyer friend who showed them the SanRoc Cay property also owned the SanBar at The Wharf and wanted out. So the two decided to take over the SanBar, renovate the kitchen, and prepare to run both new businesses while keeping the food truck operation going. Talk about ambition!

In February 2020, Jerr read a blurb about this little something called Covid from a virologist professor at Harvard who happened to have two lab assistants from China working with him. “Needless to say, it was a crazy struggle to open a restaurant,” he said. “We finally opened Fresh Off The Boat, but it took us two more months to get a liquor license because no one was working at the Alabama Beverage Control offices because of the pandemic.”

But open they did in June 2020, and things are going great after four years. “We offer fresh seafood, all from local Gulf waters.” Fresh Off The Boat has served 63 different Gulf of Mexico fish species. “The daily Chef Special is always a fresh catch straight out of the Gulf and is always our best-seller and often our most unique species of the day,” says Jerr. 

He describes Fresh Off The Boat as a casual, comfortable, yet upscale dining experience with an extensive wine list, local craft beers, and “really good bourbons.” The location is on a beautiful setting on the water at the SunRoc Cay Marina at the entrance of Cotton Bayou in Orange Beach.

Many people are returning to the Marina from fishing, and Fresh Off The Boat offers a Hook and Cook option. “There’s something special about having your catch prepared by a chef just hours after being in the water. The Chef can do it any way you want, and it’s truly the best fish you can put in your mouth.” 

Shrimp and grits are the second best-seller after the Chef’s Daily Special. “We created a newer style of menu offerings with housemade sauces, seasonings, and dishes made from scratch for everything.” Each day, they have five different Gulf fish from which to choose, prepared in different ways depending on the fish, with nice sauces to complement your dish.

For non-seafood lovers, their steaks are all Certified Angus Beef hand-cut, hand-trimmed, and char-grilled. “Our Chargrilled burgers are excellent!” The lunch menu is original fare from the food truck, like fish tacos and such. Try the Jerk Tuna for a special treat.

If BBQ Shrimp is your thing, try theirs. They are charred in a frying pan first so the shells peel easily. The Sauteed Crab Claws appetizer is a best seller. “Our Bread Pudding is homemade and unbelievably good.” They serve traditional and special presentations, depending on the French Bread they use.

Fresh Off The Boat hosts private events, especially in the off-season. “June, July, and August are hopping around here, so we are better equipped to handle private parties from September through May,” says Jerr. Beachin’ Eats (the name of their food truck) is the catering operation for off-site events.

So, everyone likes a happy ending, right? Because of the Covid delays, Jerr and David didn’t really have an opportunity for a “soft” opening. By June, everyone was ready to escape pandemic restrictions, and this area was a “Covid-free Zone” by most standards. “We were doing acrobatics trying to open and run a new restaurant right at the beginning of the high season, but we got it done.”

Then Hurricane Sally struck in September 2020. “We were open six days later as soon as we got power back.” Jerr and David know hurricanes and did full storm prep way before the forecasters knew where Sally would make landfall. “We had every bit of food in the freezer with a 10’ by 10’ block of ice.” 

Jerr placed a quarter on top of a frozen glass of water in the freezer so he would know how much the food defrosted after they lost power by measuring how far the quarter had dropped.” All good. After two years, he says the supply chain is improving daily. “It’s been a challenge sourcing products and paper goods. Knock on wood; it stays this way.” 

He goes on, “We were very fortunate. I knew we would be okay if we could get through year one with all our challenges. Sally brought the community together. Everyone helped each other, neighbor helping neighbor.” 

Jerr has been coming to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach all his life. “This is my tenth year living here,” he said. “I love fishing and boating. It’s grown like crazy in the last 30 years. Once people discovered the area, the off-season became popular too.”

What’s your feeling about the growth? I asked. “It’s so clean and nice. There is a noticeable effort to maintain the natural beauty and keep it great. The City does a nice job, and people go out of their way to pick up debris, even from the water. I love it here!”

Thanks, Jerr. Obviously, opening and operating restaurants is not for the faint of heart. We wish you and David much success and look forward to dining at Fresh Off The Boat soon. This is the place if you want a beautiful setting, great staff, and excellent food!