Gilchrist Downbeach Restaurant abruptly closes Margate location

Gilchrist Downbeach Restaurant has abruptly closed its location in Margate, New Jersey. The closure occurred on a Tuesday following the Labor Day weekend, leaving staff to receive photocopied notices informing them that their shifts had ended and they were out of a job.

The restaurant, which had operated at the Margate Towers condos on Atlantic Avenue since 2014, was one of four family-owned establishments run by the fourth generation of the Gilchrist family. The family business originated in 1946 as a bait and tackle shop in Atlantic City.

According to the closure notice, the decision was driven by the end of the lease and unsustainable costs associated with the building and operating the space. The closure is specific to the Margate location; other Gilchrist restaurants remain open in Galloway Township and at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.