Seafood Chain Replacing Fire-Damaged Houlihan's in Bala Cynwyd, Official Says

The Bala Cynwyd restaurant damaged in a May 18 will not reopen, and the seafood chain Joe's Crab Shack has applied to fill the space, Lower Merion Building and Planning Director Bob Duncan told Narberth-Bala Cynwyd Patch on Monday.

Management at Houlihan's had announced via Facebook the night of the fire that the restaurant had incurred "significant damage and will be closed for some time." (The only known injury was a woman being treated and released for smoke inhalation, Lower Merion Fire Chief Charles McGarvey said the day of the fire.)

On June 21, another post from the restaurant said, "We are actively pursuing estimates of a re-open date."

Then on July 19, a visitor to the Facebook page who asked "Are you ever opening again?" got this response: "Status is still TBD. Work has begun on the roof, but we are still awaiting resolutions with the various insurance companies involved. Until we have that information, we can’t move forward."

The township's Planning Commission is scheduled Monday night to hear an application for "construction of a 117 square foot vestibule addition, a 630 square foot outdoor dining area and exterior renovations" at 555 E. City Ave., according to the meeting agenda.

"The Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant will replace the Houlihan’s restaurant," Duncan wrote in response to Patch's email inquiry. "We have an application to add a vestibule to the front of the restaurant and modify the outdoor dining area. Any expansion requires land development approval from the Commissioners. They are requesting a waiver from this approval process because it is such a small expansion."

Houlihan's and Joe's Crab Shack are both national chains; calls to media liaisons for both companies were not returned Monday morning. Representatives of the leasing entity for 555 E. City Ave. (the property includes an office high-rise connected to the restaurant space) could not be reached for comment either.

It was not clear when the new restaurant intends to open.

Terrence Foley, CEO of the City Avenue Special Services District, said Monday that while he knew little about Joe's Crab Shack as a restaurant, "whatever goes in there is really going to do well because it’s so visible. It’s a great location."

The closest existing Joe's Crab Shack locations are in Wilmington, DE, and Lawrenceville, NJ. The nearest Houlihan's is in Plymouth Meeting.