The Sloppy Tuna Ready for Holiday Crowds

With the Fourth of July holiday weekend in full force, local business owners— particularly in community bars and restaurants— have done all they can to prepare for the influx. 

Abby Monahan, the general manager at the Sloppy Tuna in Montauk, said the crowds arrived early than she anticipated. 

“They’re here already,” said Monahan said on Wednesday afternoon. Though she had assumed people would begin arriving in droves on Wednesday night, she was on call at the bar until 4 a.m. Tuesday night.

Monahan expects crowds of up to 500 people per day coming into the Sloppy Tuna, and the restaurant and bar, which opened in time for summer 2011, is more prepared than ever for the crowds, she said. After receiving numerous noise and overcrowding violations last summer, Monahan has set some new policies — the outdoor speaker system will be turned off at night and doors will be closed to keep internal noise from spilling out into the streets. 

Sloppy Tuna is also prepared with a newly installed indoor fire system to comply with town safety codes and Monahan has hired more staff. 

Bartenders, wait staff and security have all undergone Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) certification to better handle intoxicated patrons, keep situations calm, and, if possible, avoid them all together, Monahan said. 

“I knew leading into this summer we were going to be busier than ever,” Monahan said, citing the Post-Super Storm Sandy conditions on Fire Island and at the Jersey Shore. Plus, she said, “Montauk keeps getting hotter and hotter.” 

“There’s nothing like Montauk,” she said. “When you graduate from high school around here, all you want to do is get away. That’s when you realize how special Montauk is. It’s one of the few remaining Mom and Pop communities. We don’t stop and look around enough.”

For the Fourth of July itself, the Sloppy Tuna will be holding a “Made In America” party, sponsored by Budweiser. Bottles of Budweiser will cost $4, and every bottle purchased will count as an entry into the prize raffle where contestants can win Mets and Yankees tickets as well as tickets to the 50/50/1 concert series, where the brewery has sponsored 50 concerts with 50 bands in all 50 states.

On Saturday, a bikini show will highlight a new local brand of swimwear, Perini Bikini, launched through a Kickstarter campaign in the spring. On Sunday, the local band, The WMDs will play out on the front porch.

Additionally, Monahan reminded, “We’re a good place to watch the fireworks on the Fourth.”