Former North Myrtle Beach restaurant being demolished. What’s going in its spot?
Those traveling along North Myrtle Beach’s Main Street on Tuesday probably noticed the demolition of a former seafood shack.
Crews began work on demolishing the building that once housed Duffy Street Seafood Shack. The demolition is to make way for a new development that will see the expansion of an ice cream shop, a new restaurant and retail space for new businesses.
One of those businesses will be Melt, 204 Main St., which will move into the new space, allowing the popular ice cream store more room, owner Brandon Causey said. The current store is located next door to Duffy Street.
“We are excited,” Causey said of the eventual move, which is expected to happen by summer 2026.
H.G. Worley Jr., who is heading up the project, said that Melt will be a flagship store for the new development.
Melt’s current location will remain until it opens in the new building, Worley said. Then, the old location will be torn down, along with others in the area, to make way for the rest of the development, he said.
“(Causey) will stay where he is until we get the new restaurant and his store built,” Worley said. “Hopefully we will get him in there before next season’s over.”
Before Duffy Street closed in 2022 after 27 years, the building, built in 1945, housed Hardwick’s Cafeteria.
The new development will happen in two phases, Worley said. The first phase will include tearing down the building and then prepping for the construction of Melt’s new store and the two-story restaurant, Worley said.
The second phase will include 40,000 square feet of leasable space that will be a mix of retail and restaurants , he said. There will be space for 24 businesses.
The first phase is expected to be finished in 2026, with the second phase completed in 2027, Worley said. The development will have two buildings, one that will be perpendicular to Fat Harold’s and another that will flank the back side of SkyBar. There will be “plenty” of parking as well, Worley said.
A decision about what restaurant will be located in the new space is still being considered. Worley said he is hoping to keep it in his family. But the family is exploring different concepts, which will all be centered around families.
“We want to make sure it’s a place that the families would love to come to and have plenty of activities,” Worley said.
“It’s exciting,” Worley said. “It’s an honor to reinvest” into the city.
“It’s a bright future for Ocean Drive,” Worley said.
Worley said he and his father, Harold Worley, want to “honor the Ocean Drive charm” and focus on building something that will last for the next 50 years.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
