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Ocean City restaurateur sees opportunity for
Maryland tourism

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This coming season at the beach presents its own economic challenges. According to Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Tourism Office, "the latest polls are forecasting about a 10 percent drop in vacation spending during the spring-summer travel season."

Since joining the Tourism Board, Shockley says he has become more attuned "to the bigger picture" of the state's tourism industry. "We've got to get the message out that Maryland is a great place to visit," Shockley says. "We sitting in this megalopolis – from New York to Washington, D.C., where there are lots of people at our doorstop who are looking for places to go for a vacation."

The state's "Pretty. Close." advertising campaign zeroes in on Maryland's diversity of attractions, he says, all within a six-hour drive from one end of the state to the other. Such a message, he says, seizes an opportunity to present the state as a preferred alternative to traveling to California, Arizona and other parts of the country.

Major hurdle

State budget cuts, however, represent a major hurdle for the Tourism Board, he says, noting that the Tourism Office faces a reduction of nearly $2.5 million to its current budget. "We have to educate the general public and legislators about the value of investing in tourism promotion." The decreased allocation has lowered tourism funding to about $10.3 million.

Shockley is now preparing for St. Patrick's Day at Shenanigan's. It's his season's Opening Day. Though the restaurant will be open until the beginning of November, Shockley says he does 65 percent of his business in July and August.

"When times are good," he says, "you can close your eyes to some things – to a degree." Now, however, "you have to look at every facet of your operation. You have to make things leaner and more efficient."

Last summer, customers were spending less, he says, noting a shift in the popularity of menu items. Patrons were ordering more sandwiches, instead of entrees. He's taken this into account for this year's business. "When money is tight, you have to provide value for customers."

Irish flag

Shockley, who grew up in Berlin, purchased his restaurant in 1988. It's the only place in Ocean City that regularly features live Irish music. "People know us for that," he says. "I planted the Irish flag here."

The restaurateur has a long history in the hospitality industry. In Baltimore, he was a bartender at Phillips Seafood Restaurant, then worked at The Brass Elephant. He returned to Phillips as a manager.

Shockley is a founding member of Ocean City's Boardwalk Development Association, which implemented $5 million in improvements to the boardwalk. He is also president of Ocean City Development Corporation – a local nonprofit formed to reinvigorate downtown Ocean City – and a former member of the Restaurant Association of Maryland's board of directors. He is a resident of Worcester County.