Nan & Pop’s Kitchen closes Wildwood restaurant, biz will continue to operate at area events, pop-up locations

After two seasons at the corner of Ocean & Wildwood Avenues, Nan & Pop’s Kitchen has announced that it will not return in 2023.

The restaurant, which consistently earned rave reviews and enjoyed a steady stream of returning customers, cited staff shortages and the ever-rising costs of inflation as the reasons for shuttering this location.

The decision was made official this afternoon on the business’s official Facebook page. It was also noted that the operation will continue without a physical home, with planned appearances at “pop-up” locations and events around the area. Specifics were not revealed. 

Owners Christy & Jasen Mitchell opened Nan & Pop’s in the Spring of 2020, amid the chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With a heavy emphasis on family and togetherness, the retro-themed dining room was outfitted in mid-20th century decor, complete with period wallpaper and furniture, and television screens at every table that played loops from classic shows like I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show. It operated six days a week, closed on Sundays even during the height of summer.

Nan & Pop’s was named in honor of Jasen Mitchell’s grandparents, the McGarry’s, who lived on 7th Street in North Wildwood and owned a number of highly-regarded businesses on the island.

“Every aspect of this, everything we’re doing, is meant to evoke a simpler, less complicated time,” Christy Mitchell told Wildwood 365 prior to the restaurant’s opening. “A time when the pace of life was slower, when families sat down together at the dinner table and attended church services together on Sundays.

"Our mission is centered in good, old fashioned family values, and, no matter what happens, that will not change."

For a brief time, the restaurant breathed new life into the confines of 401 E. Wildwood Avenue, a building with a great deal of history. It previously operated as the Lobster Shack, under the ownership of Jimmy Johnson, from 1979 to 2011; prior to that, it was home to Harry’s Restaurant from 1946 to 1978.

Nan & Pop’s is the first, and thus far only, confirmed restaurant closing in the Wildwoods since the end of the 2022 season. A number of longstanding establishments in neighboring shore towns have announced their permanent closures in recent weeks, including Voltaco’s and Ward’s Pastry in Ocean City and Gaspare’s Italian Bistro in Egg Harbor Township.

Continue to follow Nan & Pop’s social media pages (Facebook, Instagram) and check nanandpopskitchen.com for updates on what’s to come and participation at future events.