HERTFORD — Captain Bob’s Barbecue and Seafood will not reopen as a sit-down restaurant, its owners announced in a social media post, ending a rebuilding effort that had included purchasing another property after a devastating fire in May 2025.

The family-owned business, a longtime fixture of the Perquimans County community, will continue offering catering and concessions, but the owners said unexpected obstacles made reopening a dining room impractical.

“It comes with a heavy heart to write this post,” the owners wrote.

“When the fire took our restaurant, your overwhelming love and support kept us going. We were so excited to share our plan of remodeling a new building and welcoming you back through our doors!”

The announcement marks a change from December 2025, when the owners announced they had purchased the former Farm Market property at 1106 Harvey Point Road in Hertford, beside Planters Ridge.

At the time, the purchase represented a significant step toward reopening. The owners said they planned to modify the building’s layout to accommodate the restaurant and share construction updates as work progressed.

“We bought a building!” they announced in December. “This is a massive step for us, and we can’t wait to share this journey with you.”

Those plans have now been abandoned.

“However, as we’ve navigated the realities of rebuilding from the ground up, we’ve faced so many unforeseen obstacles along the way,” the owners wrote in their latest announcement. “We tried so hard to make this happen, pouring everything we had into bringing that dream to life.”

The owners did not specify the obstacles or announce what would happen to the Harvey Point Road property.

“After a lot of prayer, thought, and hard conversations, we’ve realized that opening a new physical dining space right now isn’t the right path for us.”

They said the decision would also allow them to spend more time together as a family.

“Stepping back from those hurdles and pivoting our business gives our family the chance to slow down and spend more quality time together.”

A longtime community gathering place

Captain Bob’s had operated in Hertford since 1984 and moved to its Ocean Highway South location in 1995. Bobby and Sharon Lane have owned the restaurant for approximately two decades.

Known for its barbecue, fried chicken, seafood and home-style sides, the restaurant served breakfast, lunch and dinner and became a gathering place for generations of local families.

Its reach extended beyond the dining room. Captain Bob’s catered Rotary Club meetings, church gatherings, chamber of commerce events, high school sports fundraisers and other community activities.

The restaurant also provided meals through the Albemarle Commission Area Agency on Aging’s Meals on Wheels program.

When the fire destroyed the restaurant, residents shared memories of family dinners, Sunday meals after church and visits with employees who had come to know regular customers by name.

In the Observer’s coverage following the fire, Hertford resident Travis Lane, who is not related to the owners, recalled visiting Captain Bob’s for breakfast with his grandfather, who had a favorite table.

“We don’t have anywhere else that people can go and eat fried chicken at the Sunday buffet after church with their families,” he wrote at the time.

“So you may say, ‘It’s just a restaurant,’ but you’d be missing how much this place means to this community.”

Fire ended decades of service on Ocean Highway

The restaurant’s original location at 310 Ocean Highway South was heavily damaged May 22, 2025, when a fire reportedly began in the smokehouse, also known as the barbecue pit, and spread into the main building.

According to the Hertford Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched at 5:34 p.m. and arrived five minutes later to find the cookhouse engulfed in flames.

The restaurant was open when the fire broke out. A Perquimans County sheriff’s deputy helped evacuate customers and employees, and no injuries were reported.

About 50 firefighters battled the blaze amid wind gusts reaching 20 mph. The Hertford, Bethel, Winfall and Inter-County volunteer fire departments responded, supported by Perquimans Emergency Services and the Sheriff’s Office.

Smoke from the fire could be seen miles away, including from Edenton.

The restaurant’s two large cookers had the capacity to prepare up to 150 hog shoulders, nearly 3,000 pounds of meat, at a time. They were also used to barbecue ribs and chicken.

In August 2025, the owners announced that their insurance company had released the damaged property, clearing the way for demolition.

The December purchase of the former Farm Market building offered renewed hope that the restaurant would return to Hertford, but the owners’ latest announcement brings those plans to an end.

Catering and concessions will continue

Although customers will no longer be able to return to a Captain Bob’s dining room, the owners emphasized that the business itself is continuing.

“While our dining room doors may be closing, our catering service remains open to bring the exact same signature barbecue, fried chicken, homemade sides, and family favorites straight to your special events, parties, and gatherings,” they wrote. “We will also continue doing concessions so you can still grab your favorite plates, pounds, and desserts.”

The decision preserves the business’s role in serving community events, fundraisers and private gatherings, even as Hertford loses the prospect of regaining one of its longtime sit-down restaurants.

The owners thanked customers for supporting the business through the fire and the unsuccessful rebuilding effort. “Thank you for walking this road with us through every twist and turn, for your patience, and for continuing to support our family and business.”