Earl rips roof from Sandbar restaurant in Buxton

BUXTON, N.C.

Add the name Earl to the Sandbar and Grille's list of unwelcome customers - er, hurricanes.

That list already included the names Alex and Isabel, two previous storms that put the popular eatery temporarily out of business.

On its visit to Hatteras Island early this morning, Hurricane Earl ripped off part of the Sandbar's roof, destroying much of the insulation and carpeting inside.

The Sandbar, located in Buxton, may not be the only seriously damaged building on the Outer Banks, but it's definitely one of few. Once a Category 4 storm, Earl had threatened major destruction but did little to follow through in the end.

"I don't have the best luck," said Sandbar co-owner Jane Metacarpa.

Metacarpa was busy Friday afternoon surveying the damage. She also couldn't help but relive the Sandbar's weathered history.

The Sandbar was virtually destroyed during Hurricane Isabel's visit to the island in 2003. So its owners decided to relocate their business to its current site in Buxton.

Then, in 2004, Hurricane Alex came through and ripped the building's roof off. It happened again a few years later during a Nor'easter.

"This will be the third roof in seven seasons," Metacarpa said.

It's not just bad luck that targets the Sandbar, however. In its current location, the restaurant sits alone on Pamlico Sound surrounded by nothing but water and seagulls.

"We've got a million-dollar sunset," she said. "But when something like this happens, we tend to be the first thing hit."

There is some consolation in the fact that 2010 was a good season for the Sandbar, Metacarpa said.

She said she won't know until a professional surveys the damage how long it will be until the restaurant re-opens.

Almost certainly, however, the Sandbar won't be open this Labor Day weekend.

"Nobody (on the island) is making beaucoup bucks," she said. " We're just all happy to be able to open our doors the next season."