At Bay bridge-tunnel, a dining destination

Pauline Parker stood in a dining area of the Chesapeake Grill on the Bay Bridge-Tunnel and snapped a photo of the view outdoors: stretches of the water as far as she could see, a tanker on the horizon, families fishing from the pier.

The view was much different before the eatery changed hands. This rear wall was more wall than window.

Parker, passing through from Staten Island, N.Y., liked the new look.

"It's beautiful," Parker said, scanning the venue's blue and green hues, and the nearby retail area. "It's more modern. They just need more stuff in the gift shop area."

Owners Chris and Kellson Savvides are working on that and so much else since revamping the Sea Gull Pier Restaurant into the grill and Virginia Originals, the gift area dedicated to artwork, gourmet foods and jewelry made in the state. The renovated restaurant opened earlier this month.

Chris Savvides is the owner and operator, with his family, of Black Angus Restaurant and catering in Virginia Beach, and thought himself a little insane when he and his wife decided to respond to requests to lease and renovate the property.

"At first, I looked at it as a moneymaker, an opportunity to build on an existing customer base," Savvides said. "As we went into it, it took on a viral effect. Instead of a bathroom pit stop, we can turn it into a destination place."

The Sea Gull had been around for about 30 years on the first man-made island of the bridge-tunnel. It was known for its free drink coupons, friendly service and seemingly foot-long flounder sandwich. It was also known for its wooden paneling, which some visitors said made the place feel like a cave.

About a year and a half ago, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission decided to get an outside assessment of the restaurant and gift shop. The evaluation said it needed to be upgraded and that its potential was fantastic. The commission decided not to renew the Sea Gull's lease.

Jeff Holland, executive director of the commission, said that 3.6 million vehicles, on average, cross the bridge-tunnel each year. He doesn't know the foot traffic of the old restaurant, but he estimates that those vehicles translate into a possible 7.2 million people stopping by to grab a drink, use the restrooms or snag a shot glass.

The commission was looking for a master concessionaire with experience and ideas that could capitalize on a one-of-a-kind location and improve the bottom line. The commission gets up to 23 percent of gross sales by the business.

"It's unique being the only place on the East Coast where you could eat, shop, browse, right in the middle of an estuary," Holland said.

The commission was impressed with the couple's concept and awarded them a 14-year lease.

The Chesapeake Grill is casual and classy, a full-service restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

(No free drinks here, but breakfast and lunch coupons are passed out at the toll plazas.)

Chris Savvides thinks of his restaurant as three wrapped into one: a Wawa, with grab-and-go fare; a Cafe Nordstrom for travelers with time to order a meal; and a Black Angus, with waiters serving entrees such as seared Virginia Yellowfin Tuna. In the off-season, companies and groups will be able to rent the area for meetings and holiday parties.

Savvides can't reduce the price of the $12 toll - that's beyond his and the commission's control - but he's looking into possible scenarios to make the restaurant attractive for people concerned about the fee.

The venue also offers a lounge with sofas and chairs for relaxing. Wi-Fi will be added, and a bait and tackle shop is in the works.

Cashier Mitzi Nichols has worked at the old restaurant off and on since 1980. She loved the place, and likes that she still sees the same types come and go - fishermen, tourists, engineering students from China and Japan studying the bridge-tunnel, which was designated as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world in 1965.

She said that the new look has made a local favorite even better.

"It's a lot brighter, a lot more open now," Nichols said, looking out at the water from her register. "This is such a great place to work."

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504 or denise.batts@pilotonline.com