Crews Inn sold to Bumpers Landing owner

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Crews Inn, a long-standing waterfront restaurant in Harrison Township, has been sold to the owner of the adjacent Bumpers Landing.

Jeff Metry, the now-former owner of Crews Inn, said his dad Fred Metry and uncle Gil Metry purchased the restaurant in 1976. Before that, they were lawyers and Metry said they had no previous restaurant experience.

Crews Inn was the site of a fire in 1978.

“And then they started to rebuild in 1980 and at that point it was just them who owned the property,” Metry said.

He went on to say they reopened the restaurant in December 1980 and that it remained open until another fire occurred in 1994.

“This was an electrical fire, and it pretty much decimated the building,” Metry said.

The next time they reopened was in July 1995.

The building has undergone renovations and expansions to make it what it looks like today.

“I’d been working back there since 2007,” Metry said. “I worked there growing up.”

Tom Moons joined the team in the early 1990s and after the fire, he became a limited business partner, something he’d do for over 32 years.

Metry’s uncle died in 2000, and his dad died in 2022. His brother and sister were part owners of the restaurant, but Metry said they were not hands on.

He said ownership has been a great run.

“All good things must come to an end and it’s just we have a good opportunity to sell to someone who we know is going to renovate it to where it’s going to look great,” Metry said.

David Colling, general manager of Bumpers Landing, said they plan to use the restaurant as an expansion of Bumpers.

“I know the sale was something that (the) ownership group had thought about for a while,” Colling said. “So the fact that it was sold to us I would say, yes, went well.”

Plans include connecting the two buildings, making use of both kitchen spaces, reworking the sea wall, docks and patio on the Crews Inn side and more.

At press time, there was no set construction start date pending plan approval from the township.

Colling said he is very excited for the expansion and that Bumpers Landing is a very happening place in the summer. Bumpers started as a small restaurant next to the current main building which, at the time, was called the Mariners Boat Club.

“The expansion started that way,” Colling said. “We acquired the Mariners Boat Club and have been operating that way for about 10, 12 years.

Though he’s only been there for four years, Colling said he had a good relationship with Metry.

“I even joked with him from time to time about selling the place to us,” Colling said.

He asked customers for patience as they completed construction and planning.

Metry said they’ve had people reach out asking if they were interested in selling the restaurant in years past.

“We didn’t really have much interest,” Metry said. “We had two different groups in the fall that were very interested.”

He went on to say they received an offer they didn’t like and countered.

“We knew the owner next door had an interest, so we reached out to him because at that point we had said, ‘OK, this is the writing on the wall. It’s time,’” Metry said.

At press time, paperwork had been signed, and the restaurant owners were waiting for the liquor license transfer to go through. Crews Inn will be open for the rest of February and Metry will hand over the keys sometime in March.

Metry said he thinks the restaurant is a staple in the community and he hopes it continues to thrive under the new ownership.

“I can’t wait to see what they end up with,” Metry said. “I can’t wait to sit on the other side of the bar and enjoy a cocktail with them.”

Metry said he’s had a number of events at the restaurant including wedding receptions, memorials, showers and more. He also said they’ve personally hosted memorials for customers who died.

Metry said he’s met great friends over the years, and he thanked his customers for their continued support.

“We loved being out in Harrison Township, Boat Town USA, and there’s so many good people out there,” Metry said. “We’ve done a few charity events out there. The Festival of Lights. But they’re all, all such good customers and great friends and I’m looking forward to seeing them over the next few weeks.”