"This isn't the end for the po'boys and Deep Fried Love that you have known for more than 75 years." George and Ann Hartley put that line in the letter that now fills the homepage of Seagrove Village MarketCafe. The same letter says the restaurant served its last day on Thursday, October 22.
The building at the heart of Seagrove's beach-lunch routine is dark. The family that has owned it since 1999 is still cooking at Surfing Deer, farther along Scenic Highway 30A. They have asked their customers, their gift cards and their loyalty to follow them there.
A 1949 General Store That Lasted Until Isaias
The Market started as a gas station and general store in 1949, as al.com reported, citing Southern Living. Over the decades it grew into a casual stop for beachgoers. The menu ran from fried shrimp baskets and fresh seafood to tacos, burgers and salads.
The Hartleys bought it in 1999. They announced the closing on social media on October 22, the same day the doors shut, and al.com quoted their post: "Following Hurricane Isaias, we have made the painful decision to close Seagrove Village Market, effective immediately."
The post went on to call the Market "a gathering place for generations of families, familiar faces, and countless memories shared over good food." That is how the owners describe it. For many families with roots in Seagrove, the Market was simply where lunch happened after a morning on the sand.
Two Rooms Closed, One Stayed Open
The October 22 decision covered more than Seagrove. Hartley Restaurant Group also closed Watersound Village Market Café & Bar in Inlet Beach, which had opened in 2023.
Here is where the group stands after that day:
| Restaurant | Location | Opened | Status after Oct. 22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seagrove Village MarketCafe | Seagrove Beach | 1949 | Closed; last day Oct. 22 |
| Watersound Village Market | Inlet Beach | 2023 | Closed; last day Oct. 22 |
| Surfing Deer | 2743 E County Hwy 30A | Open, per the Hartleys' statement |
Isaias did not spare Surfing Deer either. The Hartleys' letter says the storm damaged the outside of the building and that repairs are underway, but "inside it's business as usual with the same good food, the same friendly faces and plenty of room at the table." 30A-TV's report on the closings carried the same message: Surfing Deer is fully operational on its normal hours.
Surfing Deer has also posted a new dinner menu marked "FALL 26 + WINTER 27," with the address listed as 2743 County Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. The menu covers this fall and the coming winter. Its special-events page lists off-season rates for private events from November through February. That matters to anyone who used to host a family gathering or a team lunch at the Market.
What to Do With a Market Gift Card
If a Seagrove Village Market gift card ended up in a kitchen drawer or a holiday envelope, it still works. The Hartleys wrote that "gift cards from any of our restaurants are welcome" at Surfing Deer, "for dining or merchandise."
- Find any gift card from Seagrove Village Market, Watersound Village Market or Surfing Deer.
- Bring it to Surfing Deer at 2743 E County Hwy 30A.
- Spend it on a meal or on merchandise, the two uses the Hartleys named.
Watersound Village Market cards are covered too. Anyone who lived on the Inlet Beach end of 30A and had a favorite there gets the same option.
Where the Po'Boys Went
The letter ends with a promise:
This isn't the end for the po'boys and Deep Fried Love that you have known for more than 75 years. Use the button below to stay in touch so you'll be the first to know when something new is cookin'.
That button links to a Hartley Restaurant Group email signup. The family says it "will use the time ahead to plan for what comes next." For now the "Deep Fried Love" tagline still sits across the top of the Market's website, above a letter that sends readers to Surfing Deer.
So the signal for anyone who misses the shrimp basket is simple. Join the mailing list, and eat at Surfing Deer while the family plans its next move.
Daytime Food in Seagrove Now Runs Through the Plaza
The Market was the casual counter. With it gone, Seagrove's quick daytime food is concentrated in Seagrove Plaza at 3723 E County Hwy 30A, which lists three food tenants in its directory:
- Seagrove Coffee & Donuts, Suite 9: coffee, donuts and breakfast.
- Beachside Acai Cafe, Suite 7: açaí, sandwiches, salads and hot dogs.
- Coastal Steamer & Cafe, Suite 8: seafood and casual plates.
The Plaza's own pages send visitors to each business's website or social accounts for hours. Off-season schedules on 30A change often, so checking before a beach-day lunch run saves a wasted trip.
Seagrove's newest storefront this year is retail, not food. The 30A Store opened its flagship at 5311 E County Hwy 30A after a July 1 ribbon-cutting, as 30A.com reported, and its website lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thanksgiving's Sit-Down Table Is at Café Thirty-A
Thanksgiving falls on November 26, the first since the Market closed. Seagrove's main sit-down option for the day is down the road at Café Thirty-A, 3899 East Scenic Hwy 30A.
Its Thanksgiving 2026 menu lays out both choices:
| Dine-in, Nov. 26 | Takeout, Nov. 26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $105 per person; $35 per child | $400, serves six |
| Timing | Reservations required, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Pickup on Thanksgiving Day |
| Notes | Excludes tax and gratuity; first course is butternut squash bisque | Built for a household meal |
A family of six eating in at adult prices pays $630 before tax and tip. The $400 takeout is the cheaper way to get the same kitchen's holiday food. It suits a full house of visiting family, or a second home where everyone wants to eat by the window and not in a dining room.
Café Thirty-A's homepage still shows a closure from November 30 to December 25, 2025. That was last year's schedule. Anyone planning a December dinner there should call ahead.
The Rest of November Around the Plaza Corner
The Plaza also anchors the area's biggest holiday afternoon. Seaside's holiday parade on Saturday, November 28, steps off from Seagrove Plaza at 3 p.m. and travels down 30A toward Central Square. Santa lights up Seaside at 5 p.m. at the Turn on the Town ceremony. Seagrove sits at the start of the route.
The Florida Department of Health in Walton County lifted its bacterial advisory for the lake on October 26 after tests on October 21 showed acceptable Enterococcus levels. The latest results are posted at FloridaHealth.gov/HealthyBeaches.
A short calendar for the weeks ahead:
- Any day: use leftover Market or Watersound gift cards at Surfing Deer.
- Before Nov. 26: book a Café Thirty-A Thanksgiving table or reserve the takeout meal for six.
- Nov. 26: Thanksgiving, with Café Thirty-A seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Nov. 28, 3 p.m.: the holiday parade leaves Seagrove Plaza for Seaside.
If you own near Seagrove Plaza or along Eastern Lake and want to talk through how a closing like the Market's affects your stretch of 30A, The A-Team is glad to help. Talk to Albert Now!
