Copyright AL.com
In October, patrons bade farewell to the Flying Harpoon 2, an Orange Beach fixture known for food, drink and live music. Now we know what’s going to take its place. The reason for the shutdown of the Flying Harpoon was no mystery: The owners had announced that they were fulfilling a longtime desire to move to Florida, and by last summer they had opened a new Flying Harpoon in Port St. Joe, near Apalachicola. Garrett Spence said he and business partner Michelle Deerman have purchased the building and aim to reopen it in January as the Driftwood Oyster Bar. They’ve got plenty of knowledge of the area: They’ve owned Duck’s Diner in Orange Beach since 2014. They expanded into Gulf Shores in 2024 when they bought the popular café Hazel’s Nook from longtime owner Richard Schwartz and turned it into a second Duck’s Diner. The experience was good: “It’s been absolutely slammed, on a wait, every day year-round,” said Schwartz. “It’s really taken us aback.” Schwartz said he wanted to stress a few points: First, neither Duck’s Diner location will close as the new venue opens. Second, this will be something different, not another Duck’s Diner. Third, “a lot of people keep asking about, will po-boys still be available,” he said. The answer is yes. Along with burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, seafood platters, baked oysters, smoked wings and draft beer. Plus the titular oyster bar, of course, and live music on the weekends. Opening a third venue less than two years after expanding into their second is a bold move for the owners. Spence said one thing driving them is a confidence that Orange Beach is growing, particularly where its food and entertainment scene is concerned. “Orange Beach has very vibrant night life, from the state park all the way down to the Flora-Bama,” he said. “It’s growing every month. New stuff’s coming in, old buildings are getting torn down and new stuff’s coming up everywhere. So it’s definitely a growing area. In a couple years Margaritaville is going to be right up the road. That’s going to bring a bunch of people in. So we’re looking forward to all the growth.” A January opening will put the venue in place for this year’s early Mardi Gras season and for spring break a little later. That should help it gear up for the 2026 vacation season. “It’ll be nice to ease into it because I know once the season gets here, we’re gonna have a big year,” Spence said.
