This article appeared in the May 14th Issue of TV Times
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By David Maull
TV Times

Second thoughts must have come fast and furious to Brent Poffenberger, Tom Neville, Geoff Clopton and Howard Hopkins in the two weeks after they opened the Cottage Cafe restaurant in June 1993.

Their small dining room on 146th Street in Ocean City sat mostly empty, likely causing the four to wonder if their goal of owning a restaurant together would be a failure. "We couldn't buy a customer," Poffenberger said. "Absolutely I was worried. There was pressure there."

But almost overnight, their fortunes changed. Soon the restaurant was packed with customers, and within a year they were looking for more space. "We went from famine to feast," Poffenberger said. "We knew we needed to find another location or expand that one (Ocean City)."

In May 1994, a second Cottage Cafe location opened in Bethany Beach in the former Peppermill restaurant building on Coastal Highway. Today, the Cottage is one of the most popular eateries on the Maryland and Delaware coast. The key to success has been a unique menu that features homestyle entrees such as pot roast, pork chops and meat loaf along with traditional beach fare like crab cakes and shrimp.

"It's new to the beach area," Poffenberger said of the homestyle theme. "There aren't many people that offer the same things as we do." But homestyle food doesn't mean that atmosphere has been sacrificed. Cottage offers a cozy setting with table clothes, a fireplace and a full-service bar. "We want it to be in a nice atmosphere, a pleasant atmosphere," Poffenberger said. "We try to offer a decent menu at fair prices." He cites the pot roast, pork chops, meat loaf, fried oysters and crab cakes as the house specialties. "We try to prepare as much of the food as possible fresh," he said, noting the pot roast cooks all night and frozen foods are avoided when possible.

The goal of owning a restaurant began for Poffenberger, Neville and Clopton at Shepherd College in West Virginia, where they were fraternity brothers. After his graduation in 1990, Poffenberger went to work for the Black Eyed Pea restaurant chain, serving as manager of a franchise in Fairfax, Va. "I tried to get as much experience and knowledge about the business as possible from them," he said. When Neville and Clopton graduated a couple years later, they joined up with Poffenberger and Hopkins, who also worked for Black Eyed Pea, and formulated plans for their own restaurant. Ocean City, where Poffenberger had vacationed as a child and done a college externship at the Marina Deck, seemed like a logical choice. "I always liked the beach," he said. "We were really only looking in Ocean City."

Within a year, the restaurant had become so popular the partners were searching for a second location. They lucked out when the Peppermill site became available. "It's just quite a bit larger than the Ocean City one. It was almost perfect," said Poffenberger, who noted the Bethany location can seat 180 people. "We just felt like the Bethany market was a good market." Although Hopkins eventually left to pursue a career as a stock broker, the three remaining partners are enjoying their ownership of one of the shore's most popular restaurants.

The Cottage offers full lunch and dinner menus featuring pasta, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. Breakfast is served seven days a week in Ocean City while Bethany offers a breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday. Cottage Cafe attracts everyone from young adults to senior citizens and the Bethany location offers live entertainment in the bar four nights a week.

Poffenberger, Neville and Clopton have plans for future expansions but aren't sure whether they will open another Cottage Cafe or enter into an entirely different theme. "We don't have a set course on exactly how we're going to do that now," Poffenberger said. Judging from their previous success, either way is sure to be a hit.