November 1, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 39 . . Banquet Room Added To Business FROM PAGE 38 in before, it was a lot more of a crab house feel. It had the wood everywhere, wooden tables and the old wood booths that had been here 30 years and of course all of that stuff got ruined.” Those wooden tables have been replaced with sleek stainless steel, the furniture has been upgraded and everything is more colorful and vivid. Seascape-inspired art lines the walls, which are much brighter and better lit than before. A new banquet room was installed on Waterman’s second floor, which was previously only used for overflow seating. “We renovated the upstairs and put in a banquet room so now we can do private parties,” said Davy. “Most of the time, the upstairs sat empty seven or eight months out of the year, so we wanted to utilize that space so we made sure we can do between 70 and 100 people up in a banquet room and rent that out for different events.” The upstairs sports bar has also seen some redesign with an outside entrance added to make coming and going easier. From a culinary angle, the menu has been modernized a bit as well. Old favorites like all-you-can-eat crabs, steamed shrimp and fried chicken aren’t going anywhere, but Waterman’s will be focusing on new entrees and more steamed and boiled options for people who are looking for a healthier dining experience. “People are about portion control and fresh food. That’s just kind of the trend,” Davy said, “so we’re trying to do some more offerings.” There should be something at Waterman’s now for returning lifelong customers and those who have never visited before, he continued. “We made the conscious effort to say, ‘okay, what can we do to be more competitive?’ ” he said. “There are a lot of people doing a lot of stuff right and if you don’t change and keep up with trends your clientele tends to go away.” It was tough to give up on an entire year of business during renovations, admitted Davy, but in the long-term should be worth it. Waterman’s has been updated in a big way and is now ready for the next 30 years of customers. Davy believes it’s coming at a good time, with West Ocean City becoming “its own little entity” outside of Ocean City’s shadow. As the community continues to evolve, Davy is confident that the newly renovated Waterman’s will carry on as a popular seafood destination in West Ocean City. Between the carry-out seafood market, sports bar, restaurant and new banquet room, he’s predicting a busy first year back that will be highlighted today, Nov. 1 with a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony organized by the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce at 4 p.m.