ABOUT US
A couple of friends and a few beers.
(Or maybe more than a few?)
Tavern on 12 started as a casual conversation between friends, over a series of beers and a series of months. I’ve basically had two jobs in my life: Fisherman and bartender. I started out fishing as a summer job in high school here in Hatteras. After 10 years as a mate, I left the island for 5 years to try my hand at college. Well, college wasn’t for me but I did gain a lot of experience behind a bar and I had a lot of fun! Back home in Hatteras, I went back to fishing for about 12 more years before finally selling my boat. I got a job with my old friend Dwight at a local restaurant. It was here that I would meet Mark Ashley and his wife Sarah and my life’s trajectory would change. I had told Mark that I would like to have my own place someday and he was eager to see it happen as well.
After tossing some different ideas around in the fall of 2018 this building we are in now came up for sale. Mark jumped on the purchase and we were off to the races. It was around March of 2019 that we set out remodeling the space. It was 6 months of hard work, lots of mistakes, and lots of patience, but in September 2019 we opened!
Of course it’s always challenging to start a new business but who knew that fate would deal us, and the rest of the world, a cruel hand called Covid-19. Just 5 months into business too! Somehow we have weathered Covid and are excited for the future.
Our menu contains a nice variety of different choices from brick oven pizza, to hand made burgers, to fresh seafood. I am personally committed to seeking out the freshest local seafood I can find and am always happy to share just where and when I got the seafood on your plate.