Prince Frederick, MD – After a decade of operation, a large Calvert County restaurant/bar is about to change its name. The owner of the Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille in Prince Frederick went before the Calvert County Liquor Board Thursday, Jan. 24 to request a “trading as” name change on its license. Owner Steven Cooper announced that he has chosen not to renew the establishment’s franchise contract. instead, Cooper told the board that he is changing the trade name to “Calvert Tap House.” He said the renamed restaurant/bar would have a new menu and would promote and sell products from local breweries.
Cooper explained that Greene Turtle’s corporate officials wanted him to close down for a lengthy period of time and spend $100,000 on renovations as a condition for having the franchise agreement extended. Cooper said he declined. “They really controlled us,” he said of his franchisee/franchiser relationship.
The restaurant and bar’s transformation is expected to occur after St. Patrick’s Day, with a one-week closure starting March 19.
“Prince Frederick’s Greene Turtle opened in January of 2008 and is just coming to the end of its 10-year franchise agreement,” stated Tom Finn, vice president of Franchise Development for the Greene Turtle. “We have mutually agreed with the franchisee not to have the site continue operating as a Greene Turtle. The restaurant is slated to close in March. Loyal fans of The Greene Turtle are invited to visit our closest restaurants in La Plata and Edgewater. Going forward, we are seeking a new strategic franchise partner to develop and operate Greene Turtles in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties.”
Both the Greene Turtle and its Prince Frederick location are examples of evolving state and local history stories. The original Greene Turtle was located in Ocean City, MD and opened in 1978. Three years later two college friends purchased the business—an English-style pub—kept the name and converted it into a sports bar. Other locations opened in Baltimore six years later and in 2002 the Greene Turtle began franchising. The Hanover, MD-based company now has nearly 50 locations in seven states and Washington, DC. “We remain on an aggressive and successful growth path, with 46 locations—including Prince Frederick—currently open, 51 yet to be opened in accordance with existing strategic development agreements,” Finn told TheBayNet.com. “In 2017, we opened six new restaurants, including our first locations in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as our third location in New York, while continuing to bring The Greene Turtle to more parts of our native Maryland and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic Region. We are excited about what 2018 and the next few years hold in store for our brand and our loyal fans.”
What has been the Prince Frederick Greene Turtle for the past several years is located in the Prince Frederick Shopping Center on Route 2/4 (Solomons Island Road). The unit was once a grocery store. The iconic A&P cupola remains at the top of the building. In the late 1990s—after the grocery store had closed—there was some support for moving the Prince Frederick Library into the storefront. That proposal was met with substantial opposition. During the early 2000s the location was converted into a farmers’ market. However, when the Calvert County Commissioners opted not to support payment of the lease, the market closed when the lease expired. That’s when the unit was converted into a Greene Turtle location.
The Liquor Board unanimously approved Cooper’s request for a change of the trading as name.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com